What are you looking for today?

Guo, Liqiong, Li, Peng-hui, Li, Hua, Colicino, Elena, Colicino, Silvia, Wen, Yi, Zhang, Ruiping, Feng, Xiaotian, Barrow, Timothy, Cayir, Akin, Baccarelli, Andrea A and Byun, Hyang-Min (2017) Effects of environmental noise exposure on DNA methylation in the brain and metabolic health. Environmental Research, 153. pp. 73-82. ISSN 0013-9351

Document

  • [thumbnail of Barrow_Noise.doc]
    Barrow_Noise.doc - Accepted Version

Abstract

Abstract

Environmental noise exposure is associated with adverse effects on human health including hearing loss, heart disease, and changes in stress-related hormone levels. Alteration in DNA methylation in response to environmental exposures is a well-known phenomenon and it is implicated in many human diseases. Understanding how environmental noise exposures affect DNA methylation patterns may help to elucidate the link between noise and adverse effects on health. In this pilot study we examined the effects of environmental noise exposure on DNA methylation of genes related to brain function and investigated whether these changes are related with metabolic health. We exposed four groups of male Wistar rats to moderate intensity noise (70–75 dB with 20–4000 Hz) at night for three days as short-term exposure, and for three weeks as long-term exposure. Noise exposure was limited to 45 dB during the daytime. Control groups were exposed to only 45 dB, day and night. We measured DNA methylation in the Bdnf, Comt, Crhr1, Mc2r, and Snca genes in tissue from four brain regions of the rats (hippocampus, frontal lobe, medulla oblongata, and inferior colliculus). Further, we measured blood pressure and body weight after long-term noise exposure. We found that environmental noise exposure is associated with gene-specific DNA methylation changes in specific regions of the brain. Changes in DNA methylation are significantly associated with changes in body weight (between Bdnf DNA methylation and Δ body weight: r=0.59, p=0.018; and between LINE-1 ORF DNA methylation and Δ body weight: =−0.80, p=0.0004). We also observed that noise exposure decreased blood pressure (p=0.038 for SBP, p=0.017 for DBP and p 0. 017 for MAP) and decreased body weight (β=−26 g, p=0.008). In conclusion, environmental noise exposures can induce changes in DNA methylation in the brain, which may be associated with adverse effects upon metabolic health through modulation of response to stress-related hormones.

Item Type: Article
Depositing User: Timothy Barrow
URI: https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/8927

Further Details

More Information

Depositing User

Identifiers

Item ID
8927
Identification Number
ISSN
0013-9351

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Timothy Barrow

Catalogue record

Date Deposited
12 Mar 2018 12:39
Last Modified
04 Jun 2025 17:28

Contributors

Author
Liqiong Guo
Author
Peng-hui Li
Author
Hua Li
Author
Elena Colicino
Author
Silvia Colicino
Author
Yi Wen
Author
Ruiping Zhang
Author
Xiaotian Feng
Author
Akin Cayir
Author
Andrea A Baccarelli
Author
Hyang-Min Byun

University Divisions

Subjects

Actions (login required)

View Item (Repository Staff Only)

Downloads per month over past year