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

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.

Figure 1.

The impacts of gestational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals can be detected across multiple ‘omics’ which may impact health outcomes and development later in life. (A) Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during pregnancy is associated with (B) alterations in multi-omics processes in both the pregnant individual and the fetus that can be detected in samples collected during pregnancy (i.e. blood) or at birth (placenta, cord blood) and (C) adverse health outcomes in the offspring which may manifest at any developmental time point from infancy to elderly years. Knowledge gained from omics analyses can be used to predict, prevent, or mitigate toxicity of in utero exposure to EDCs.