Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants modulates the metabolism and gut microbiota of the offspring.

Prenatal POP exposure was strongly associated with alterations in the infant metabolome, particularly affecting lipid metabolism and microbiota-derived metabolites.

• The study examined organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as the POPs of interest.
• Infant metabolic profiles and gut microbiota composition were assessed at three months of age.
• The most affected metabolic pathways included fatty acid metabolism, bile acid transformation, and steroid hormone biosynthesis.

Among all POPs examined, PCBs showed the most pronounced influence on both metabolic profiles and gut microbial composition.

• PCB exposure was associated with disruptions in bile acid and amino acid metabolism.
• PCBs had stronger effects on both metabolomics outcomes and microbiome composition compared to organochlorine pesticides and PFAS.
• PCB-associated metabolic perturbations involved lipid- and amino acid-related pathways.

Prenatal PCB exposure was linked to reduced abundance of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus paragasseri in infant gut microbiota.

• These reductions were observed in infants at three months of age.
• Both Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus paragasseri are considered beneficial commensal bacteria in early-life gut microbiota.
• The reductions were associated with prenatal, not postnatal, PCB exposure, indicating an in utero programming effect.

Prenatal PCB exposure was associated with increased abundance of Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum in infant gut microbiota.

• Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum was elevated in association with prenatal PCB exposure at three months of age.
• This shift in microbial composition occurred alongside disruptions in bile acid and amino acid metabolism.
• The findings suggest a link between PCB-related microbiome alterations and specific metabolic pathway perturbations.

Prenatal POP exposure significantly altered the composition of the infant gut microbiome at three months of age.

• The gut microbiota compositional changes were observed across multiple POP classes, with PCBs showing the strongest effects.
• Microbiota-derived metabolites were among the metabolome features most affected by prenatal POP exposure.
• The findings suggest that early-life exposure to POPs can disrupt host-microbiome metabolic interactions.

Emerging evidence indicates environmental contaminants can influence both human metabolism and gut microbiota composition, but effects of prenatal POP exposure on host-microbiome metabolic interactions remained incompletely understood prior to this study.

• The study addressed a gap regarding specific effects of prenatal POP exposure on host-microbiome metabolic interactions.
• POPs investigated included organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, and PFAS.
• The study design measured prenatal exposure and assessed outcomes in infants at three months of age.