B vitamins attenuate the epigenetic effects of ambient fine particles in a pilot human intervention trial

Jia Zhong(Columbia University), Oskar Karlsson(Uppsala University), Guan Wang(Columbia University), Jun Li(Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Yichen Guo(Harvard University), Xinyi Lin(Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences), Michele Zemplenyi(Harvard University), Marco Sánchez-Guerra(Instituto Nacional de Perinatología), Letizia Trevisi(Harvard University), Bruce Urch(St. Michael's Hospital), Mary Speck(University of Toronto), Liming Liang(Harvard University), Brent A. Coull(Harvard University), Petros Koutrakis(Harvard University), Frances Silverman(St. Michael's Hospital), Diane R. Gold(Brigham and Women's Hospital), Tangchun Wu(Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Andrea Baccarelli(Columbia University)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
March 13, 2017
10.1073/pnas.1618545114
Cited by 150Open Access
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Abstract

Significance Air pollution is a major public health concern worldwide. The molecular mechanistic underpinnings of the health effects of air pollution are not fully understood, and the lack of individual-level preventative options represent a critical knowledge gap. Our study demonstrated the epigenetic effects of air pollution and suggested that B vitamins might be used as prevention to complement regulations to attenuate the impact of air pollution on the epigenome. Our study inaugurated a line of research for the development of preventive interventions to minimize the adverse effects of air pollution on potential mechanistic markers. Because of the central role of epigenetic modifications in mediating environmental effects, our findings might be extended to other toxicants and environmental diseases.

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