This study investigated the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants impacts cord serum metabolome and contributes to the development of autoimmune diseases. Cord serum samples from infants who later developed autoimmune diseases (celiac disease, Crohn's disease, hypothyroidism, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and type 1 diabetes) and matched controls were analyzed for environmental contaminants and metabolites using mass spectrometry. Differences in exposure levels were found between cases and controls, with high contaminant exposure associated with changes in the metabolome, particularly amino acids and free fatty acids. Marked associations were identified between metabolite profiles and deoxynivalenol, bisphenol S, and specific PFAS. Prenatal exposure to specific contaminants alters cord serum metabolomes, potentially increasing the risk of various immune-mediated diseases.

Bagavathy Shanmugam Karthikeyan, Tuulia Hyötyläinen, Tannaz Ghaffarzadegan, Eric Triplett, Matej Orešič, Johnny Ludvigsson