Kyung Hee University Identifies Link Between Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Atopic Dermatitis

Exposure to fine particulate matter early in pregnancy may increase the risk of atopic dermatitis.

A research team led by Professor Kim Kwonil of the Department of Biology at Kyung Hee University, together with a team led by Professor Hong Soojong of the National Medical Center and others, identified changes in fetal immune cells linking exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy with the risk of atopic dermatitis in children, the university said on October 12.

A schematic diagram illustrating how exposure to fine particulate matter during pregnancy affects fetal immune cells, potentially increasing the risk of atopic dermatitis after birth. Kyung Hee University.

The findings were published in the international journal Nature Communications.

The researchers integrated and analyzed data from 986 participants in the Childhood Asthma and Allergic Diseases Birth Cohort (COCOA), along with approximately 400,000 single-cell and spatial transcriptomic datasets. They found the strongest association between exposure to fine particulate matter during early pregnancy and the risk of atopic dermatitis in children.

In particular, they found that methylation of the FCER1G gene, which is involved in immune responses, decreased while its expression increased in fetal-derived macrophages in the placenta. The same changes were observed in skin and blood samples from patients with atopic dermatitis and in experiments involving macrophages exposed to fine particulate matter.

The researchers suggested that exposure to fine particulate matter during pregnancy may leave a "molecular imprint" on fetal immune cells, potentially leading to an immune response that is more susceptible to allergic inflammation after birth.

"We confirmed that exposure to fine particulate matter during fetal development can leave a kind of 'molecular imprint' on immune cells," Professor Kim Kwonil said. "This could be expanded into research on the early prediction, prevention, and treatment of allergic diseases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.