Prenatal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals: The role of multi-omics in understanding toxicity

Margaret H Rabotnick; Jessa Ehlinger; Ariana Haidari; Jaclyn M Goodrich

doi:10.1016/j.mce.2023.112046

Prenatal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals: The role of multi-omics in understanding toxicity

Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2023 Dec 1:578:112046. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112046. Epub 2023 Aug 19.

Authors

Margaret H Rabotnick¹, Jessa Ehlinger¹, Ariana Haidari¹, Jaclyn M Goodrich²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
² Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. Electronic address: gaydojac@umich.edu.

PMID: 37598796
PMCID: PMC10592024 (available on 2024-12-01)
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112046

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a diverse group of toxicants detected in populations globally. Prenatal EDC exposures impact birth and childhood outcomes. EDCs work through persistent changes at the molecular, cellular, and organ level. Molecular and biochemical signals or 'omics' can be measured at various functional levels - including the epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and the microbiome. In this narrative review, we introduce each omics and give examples of associations with prenatal EDC exposures. There is substantial research on epigenomic modifications in offspring exposed to EDCs during gestation, and a growing number of studies evaluating the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, or microbiome in response to these exposures. Multi-omics, integrating data across omics layers, may improve understanding of disrupted function pathways related to early life exposures. We highlight several data integration methods to consider in multi-omics studies. Information from multi-omics can improve understanding of the biological processes and mechanisms underlying prenatal EDC toxicity.

Keywords: Child health; Environmental exposures; Epigenomics; Maternal health; Metabolomics; Molecular epidemiology; Prenatal exposures; Proteomics; Transcriptomics.

Abstract

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