Gaussian graphical modeling of the serum exposome and metabolome reveals interactions between environmental chemicals and endogenous metabolites

Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 7;11(1):7607. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-87070-9.

Abstract

Given the complex exposures from both exogenous and endogenous sources that an individual experiences during life, exposome-wide association studies that interrogate levels of small molecules in biospecimens have been proposed for discovering causes of chronic diseases. We conducted a study to explore associations between environmental chemicals and endogenous molecules using Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) of non-targeted metabolomics data measured in a cohort of California women firefighters and office workers. GGMs revealed many exposure-metabolite associations, including that exposures to mono-hydroxyisononyl phthalate, ethyl paraben and 4-ethylbenzoic acid were associated with metabolites involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis, and perfluoroalkyl substances were linked to bile acids-hormones that regulate cholesterol and glucose metabolism-and inflammatory signaling molecules. Some hypotheses generated from these findings were confirmed by analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a novel approach to discovering associations between chemical exposures and biological processes of potential relevance for disease causation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administrative Personnel
  • Adult
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis*
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Exposome
  • Female
  • Firefighters
  • Humans
  • Metabolome / genetics
  • Metabolomics / methods*
  • Middle Aged
  • Normal Distribution
  • Serum / chemistry