An exposome connectivity paradigm for the mechanistic assessment of the effects of prenatal and early life exposure to metals on neurodevelopment

Abstract

The exposome paradigm through an integrated approach to investigating the impact of perinatal exposure to metals on child neurodevelopment in two cohorts carried out in Slovenia (PHIME cohort) and Greece (HERACLES cohort) respectively, is presented herein. Heavy metals are well-known neurotoxicants with well-established links to impaired neurodevelopment. The links between in utero and early-life exposure to metals, metabolic pathway dysregulation, and neurodevelopmental disorders were drawn through urinary and plasma untargeted metabolomics analysis, followed by the combined application of in silico and biostatistical methods. Heavy metal prenatal and postnatal exposure was evaluated, including parameters indirectly related to exposure and health adversities, such as sociodemographic and anthropometric parameters and dietary factors. The primary outcome of the study was that the identified perturbations related to the TCA cycle are mainly associated with impaired mitochondrial respiration, which is detrimental to cellular homeostasis and functionality; this is further potentiated by the capacity of heavy metals to induce oxidative stress. Insufficient production of energy from the mitochondria during the perinatal period is associated with developmental disorders in children. The HERACLES cohort included more detailed data regarding diet and sociodemographic status of the studied population, allowing the identification of a broader spectrum of effect modifiers, such as the beneficial role of a diet rich in antioxidants such as lycopene and ω-3 fatty acids, the negative effect the consumption of food items such as pork and chicken meat has or the multiple impacts of fish consumption. Beyond diet, several other factors have been proven influential for child neurodevelopment, such as the proximity to pollution sources (e.g., waste treatment site) and the broader living environment, including socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Overall, our results demonstrate the utility of exposome-wide association studies (EWAS) toward understanding the relationships among the multiple factors that determine human exposure and the underlying biology, reflected as omics markers of effect on neurodevelopment during childhood.