Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants modulates the metabolism and gut microbiota of the offspring
: Lamichhane, Santosh; Salihovic, Samira; Sinioja, Tim; Virtanen, Suvi M.; Vatanen, Tommi; Orešič, Matej; Knip, Mikael; Hyötyläinen, Tuulia
Publisher: Elsevier
: 2026
Environment International
: 110080
: 208
: 0160-4120
: 1873-6750
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110080
: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110080
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508964841
Emerging evidence suggests that environmental contaminants can influence both human metabolism and gut microbiota composition. However, the specific effects of prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on host–microbiome metabolic interactions remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated associations between prenatal exposure to POPs, including organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and growth, metabolic profiles, and gut microbiota composition in infants at three months of age. Prenatal POP exposure was strongly associated with alterations in the infant metabolome, particularly affecting lipid metabolism and microbiota-derived metabolites. Among the POPs examined, PCBs showed the most pronounced influence on both metabolic profiles and gut microbial composition. The most affected metabolic pathways included fatty acid metabolism, bile acid transformation, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Furthermore, prenatal POP exposure significantly altered the composition of the gut microbiome. PCB exposure was linked to reduced Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus paragasseri, and increased Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum, along with disruptions in bile acid and amino acid metabolism. These findings suggest that early-life exposure to POPs can disrupt host–microbiome metabolic interactions, potentially through perturbation of lipid- and amino acid–related pathways.
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This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 2020-03674 and 2016-05176 to T.H and M.O.), Formas (grant no. 2019-00869 to T.H and M.O.), and by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation (grant no. 20220122, to T.H. and M.O.). The EDIA study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); National Institutes of Health (1DP3DK094338-01); the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Molecular Systems Immunology and Physiology Research 2012-17 (250114); the Medical Research Funds, Tampere and Helsinki University Hospitals. S.L. was supported by Research Council of Finland funding (no. 363417).