A comprehensive multiplatform metabolomic analysis reveals alterations of 2-hydroxybutyric acid among women with deep endometriosis related to the pesticide trans-nonachlor

Endometriosis; Meet-in-the-middle; Metabolomics; Persistent organic pollutants; Pollution; Waste Management and Disposal; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Engineering

[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been related to the risk of endometriosis however the mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of the present study was to characterize the metabolic profiles underpinning the associations between POPs and endometriosis risk. METHODOLOGY: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in France to recruit women with and without surgically confirmed deep endometriosis. Women's serum was analyzed using gas and liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) to measure the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A comprehensive metabolomic profiling was conducted using targeted HRMS and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) to cover polar and non-polar fractions. A "meet-in-the-middle" statistical framework was applied to identify the metabolites related to endometriosis and POP levels, using multivariate linear and logistic regressions adjusting for confounding variables.

Fourteen PCBs, six OCPs and six PFAS were widely found in almost all serum samples. The pesticide trans-nonachlor was the POP most strongly and positively associated with deep endometriosis risk, with odds ratio (95 % confidence interval) of 2.42 (1.49; 4.12), followed by PCB180 and 167. Women with endometriosis exhibited a distinctive metabolic profile, with elevated serum levels of lactate, ketone bodies and multiple amino acids and lower levels of bile acids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), cortisol and hippuric acid. The metabolite 2-hydroxybutyrate was simultaneously associated to endometriosis risk and exposure to trans-nonachlor.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive metabolome-wide association study of endometriosis, integrating ultra-trace profiling of POPs. The results confirmed a metabolic alteration among women with deep endometriosis that could be also associated to the exposure to POPs. Further observational and experimental studies will be required to delineate the causal ordering of those associations and gain insight on the underlying mechanisms. Disciplines : Pharmacy, pharmacology & toxicology Lefebvre, Tiphaine ✱; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France, CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Service de Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, Gynécologie médicale, 38 bd Jean Monnet, Nantes, France, Faculty of Medicine, Nantes Université, France, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Centre Hospitalier Départemental Vendée, 85000 la Roche sur Yon, France Campas, Manon ✱; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur le Médicament (CIRM) Matta, Komodo; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France Ouzia, Sadia; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France, MetaboHUB-MELISA, MetaboHUB-ANR-11-INBS-0010, Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France Guitton, Yann; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France, MetaboHUB-MELISA, MetaboHUB-ANR-11-INBS-0010, Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France Duval, Gauthier; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France, CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Service de Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, Gynécologie médicale, 38 bd Jean Monnet, Nantes, France Ploteau, Stéphane; CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Service de Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, Gynécologie médicale, 38 bd Jean Monnet, Nantes, France, CHU Nantes, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 38 bd Jean Monnet, Nantes, France Marchand, Philippe; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France Le Bizec, Bruno; Oniris, INRAE, LABERCA, Nantes, France Freour, Thomas; CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Service de Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, Gynécologie médicale, 38 bd Jean Monnet, Nantes, France, Department of Reproductive Medicine, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain ✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work. Language : English Title : A comprehensive multiplatform metabolomic analysis reveals alterations of 2-hydroxybutyric acid among women with deep endometriosis related to the pesticide trans-nonachlor. Publication date : 03 February 2024 Journal title : Science of the Total Environment ISSN : 0048-9697 eISSN : 1879-1026 Publisher : Elsevier Volume : 918 Pages : 170678 Peer reviewed : Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi Funders : Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire Available on ORBi : since 07 February 2024 Scopus citations® 8 Scopus citations® without self-citations without self-citations 7 OpenAlex citations 8 - Atkins, H.M., Bharadwaj, M.S., O'Brien Cox, A., Furdui, C.M., Appt, S.E., Caudell, D.L., Endometrium and endometriosis tissue mitochondrial energy metabolism in a nonhuman primate model. Reprod. Biol. Endocrinol., 17, 2019, 70. - Benoit, L., Koual, M., Tomkiewicz, C., Bats, A.S., Antignac, J.P., Coumoul, X., et al. 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