Serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in early pregnancy and their associations with gestational diabetes mellitus

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are extensively present in humans and may disturb glucose metabolism during pregnancy. However, previous reports on the associations between PCBs/PBDEs levels and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been inconsistent. We performed a nested case-control study to measure the serum levels of 6 PCB and 7 PBDE congeners in early pregnancy, and to assess their associations with GDM risk and blood glucose levels. Totally, 208 serum samples (104 GDM cases and 104 controls) were included based on a prospective cohort which was carried out in Jiangsu province, China, from 2020 to 2022. The results showed that PCB-153 was the major PCB congener, whereas PBDE-47 was the predominant PBDE congener. The continuous concentrations of PCB-153, PBDE-28, and total PCB were significantly related to an increased risk of GDM, with adjusted ORs (95%CI) of 1.25 (1.04-1.50), 1.19 (1.02-1.39), and 1.37 (1.05-1.79), respectively. Potential dose-response relationships were also observed between serum levels of PCB-153 (P = 0.011), PBDE-28 (P = 0.028), total PCB (P = 0.048), and total PCB/PBDE (P = 0.010) and GDM risk. Moreover, PCB-153, PBDE-28 and total PCB levels were positively related to 1-h OGTT blood glucose (adjusted βPCB-153: 0.14, 95%CI: 0.00-0.28; adjusted βPBDE-28: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.08-0.32; adjusted βtotal PCB: 0.30, 95%CI: 0.09-0.50), whereas none of the PCBs/PBDEs were statistically related to fasting blood glucose and 2-h OGTT blood glucose (all P > 0.05). Further meta-analysis also supported the association of PCBs exposure with GDM risk. Our study provides further evidence that PCBs/PBDEs exposure may increase GDM risk during pregnancy.