Project R-13218

Endocrine disrupting activity of in utero exposure to air pollution and its influence on overweight and neurobehavioural development in childhood. (Research)

This project proposal aims to explore endocrine-disrupting activities of air pollution exposure in early life and how these effects can be hazardous for childhood development. Little is known about whether exposure to endocrine disruptors through air pollution in utero can disrupt steroid levels and its further impact on neurodevelopment and weight in childhood. I hypothesise that exposure to air pollution in early life disrupts sex hormone levels, negatively impacting behavioural development and causing weight gain. To study this hypothesis, I will first examine the association between in utero exposure to air pollution and hormone levels of the androgenic and estrogenic pathway in newborns and children in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. Furthermore, I investigate the mediating effect of hormone levels on the association between exposure to air pollution and behavioural development and overweight in children. To substantiate and unravel the molecular mechanism(s) underlying my findings, I explore epigenetic mechanisms associated with in utero air pollution exposure affecting steroid hormone levels at birth and/or predicting trends in steroid hormones in childhood or later in life. This project proposes innovative work to advance our knowledge on the effects of prenatal exposure to air pollution on steroid levels and their role in mediating neurodevelopment and overweight in childhood. Moreover, it will provide mechanistic insights into the underlying mechanism(s).

01 November 2022 - 31 October 2026