Andalusian researchers demonstrate the usefulness of umbilical cord blood biomarkers in the early detection of neurodevelopmental problems.
Researchers from the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), an institution dependent on the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, together with professionals from the University of Granada, the Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA), and the Biomedical Research Network Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) have published a study that reveals changes in biomolecular markers of toxicity in babies whose mothers were exposed to organophosphate compounds (pesticides and flame retardants) during pregnancy.
The study analyzed how prenatal exposure to these compounds is related to alterations in the levels of molecular biomarkers of neurotoxicity in the umbilical cord blood of 398 mothers and newborns from southeastern Spain participating in the GENEIDA (Genetics, Early Life Environmental Exposures and Infant Development in Andalusia) birth cohort.
The concentration of organophosphate metabolites (pesticides and flame retardants) in urine from the first and third trimesters of pregnancy was analyzed. Six molecular biomarkers of neurotoxicity related to neurodevelopmental processes were measured in umbilical cord blood.
The results show significant associations between exposure to the OP compound metabolites studied and some of the neurotoxicity biomarkers, with differences observed according to the sex of the newborns. Furthermore, the results provide preliminary evidence of developmental neurotoxicity.
This study has opened a novel line of research, being the first to explore molecular biomarkers in umbilical cord blood to detect possible alterations in neurological development. Its relevance lies in its ability to identify, early, problems related to neurodevelopment and behavior, which would allow for early intervention.
The research team hopes that other groups working with different population cohorts can apply these analyses, thus contributing to the creation of a more robust body of knowledge on the usefulness of umbilical cord biomarkers.
The authors suggest the need for later childhood studies that include behavioral and cognitive assessments, as well as brain imaging, to better understand the neurotoxic effects of prenatal exposure to these compounds and the predictive capacity of the molecular biomarkers studied.
The article has been published in volume 374 of the April 2025 issue of the journal Chemosphere, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653525001468
GENEIDA, a cohort to improve maternal and child health
The GENEIDA (Genetics, Early Life Environmental Exposures and Infant Development in Andalusia) cohort was launched in 2014 in the Poniente region of Almería, one of the most important areas of intensive agriculture in Spain. The aim was to expand scientific knowledge on how exposure to environmental pollutants during the early stages of life, as well as other factors such as diet and lifestyle, can affect the health of mothers and their children at different stages of life. The cohort is currently under development, and the children have already turned 8 years old.
Coordinated by Dr. Marina Lacasaña at the EASP, with the support of healthcare professionals and researchers from the Hospital de Poniente (Almería), the University of Granada, and the Center for Genomics and Oncology Research (GENYO), the GENEIDA cohort's main objective is to contribute to protecting the health of pregnant women and children during infancy and adolescence based on the information generated by its research.
GENEIDA is a birth cohort of 800 mother-child pairs followed during pregnancy, birth, childhood, and adolescence to assess the impact of exposures during the fetal stage and early years of life on children's health and neuropsychological development at different ages.
Within the framework of the GENEIDA cohort, various research projects are being developed aimed at characterizing these exposures and their potential effects on reproductive and child health, particularly on fetal growth and development, neurodevelopment, respiratory and allergic diseases, and obesity. These projects also encompass the study of genetic and epigenetic factors and mechanisms associated with exposure to these compounds and the health effects observed in the cohort. Multi-omics sciences, with the development of studies on metabolomics and microbiota, also play a relevant role in the GENEIDA cohort given the high clinical and scientific interest in these areas of knowledge.
