Environmental concentrations of cadmium and zinc and associating metabolomics profile alternations in urine of pregnant women in the first trimester: A prospective cohort study in Taiyuan, North China

especially to pregnant women. In recent years, zinc (Zn) supplementation has attracted increasing attention among pregnant women. Thus, understanding the effects and interactions of Cd and Zn in pregnant women is critical. This study aimed to assess the urinary levels of Cd and Zn in pregnant women during early pregnancy, examine associated alterations in urine metabolomics, and identify potential metabolic biomarkers among distinct Cd and Zn groups. Urine samples from 185 pregnant women were collected, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect Cd and Zn contents. The women were then divided into four groups according to median contents of Cd and Zn. Alterations in the metabolite profile were assessed using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS). The results showed that the gravidity of pregnant women was closely related to urinary Cd levels and that the urinary Zn contents of pregnant women with morning sickness in the first trimester were lower than that of non-morning-sick pregnant women. A total of 51 metabolites exhibited significant differential expression in the high level of Cd and Zn (HCdHZn) compared with low level of Cd and Zn (LCdLZn), the diagnostic performance of these 51 metabolites were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and revealed that octadecylamine was a promising diagnostic indicator for evaluating the combined effects of Zn and Cd. Metabolomics analysis showed that the arginine and proline pathways were upregulated in HCdHZn compared with that in LCdLZn, suggesting a potential risk of obesity. Although higer levels of bovinic acid in HCdHZn vs. HCdLZn (high level of Cd and low level of Zn) indicated that Zn has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, excessive Zn may still cause harmful effect to the human health and should be supplemented with caution. The study findings may be valuable for potential risk ahissessment of the combined effects of Cd-Zn and their interactions in pregnant women.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the levels of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in urine samples from pregnant women and examined the associated changes in urine metabolomics. The results showed that the number of pregnancies was closely related to urinary Cd levels, and pregnant women with morning sickness had lower urinary Zn levels. Additionally, several metabolites exhibited significant differential expression in the high Cd and Zn group compared to the low Cd and Zn group. The study also suggested that excessive Zn intake may have harmful effects on human health. These findings are important for assessing the potential risks of combined Cd-Zn effects and interactions in pregnant women.