Untargeted Metabolome Analysis of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies Reveals Metabolite Differences That Are Associated with Infant Birth Outcomes

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  • Hasken, J.M.
    • Affiliation: Nutrition Research Institute
  • de Vries, M.M.
    • Other Affiliation: Stellenbosch University
  • Marais, A.-S.
    • Other Affiliation: Stellenbosch University
  • May, P.A.
    • Affiliation: Nutrition Research Institute
  • Parry, C.D.H.
    • Other Affiliation: Stellenbosch University
  • Seedat, S.
    • Other Affiliation: Stellenbosch University
  • Mooney, S.M.
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
  • Smith, S.M.
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
Abstract
  • Prenatal alcohol exposure can produce offspring growth deficits and is a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disability. We used untargeted metabolomics to generate mechanistic insight into how alcohol impairs fetal development. In the Western Cape Province of South Africa, 52 women between gestational weeks 5–36 (mean 18.5 ± 6.5) were recruited, and they provided a finger-prick fasting bloodspot that underwent mass spectrometry. Metabolomic data were analyzed using partial least squares-discriminant analyses (PLS-DA) to identify metabolites that correlated with alcohol exposure and infant birth outcomes. Women who consumed alcohol in the past seven days were distinguished by a metabolite profile that included reduced sphingomyelins, cholesterol, and pregnenolones, and elevated fatty acids, acyl and amino acyl carnitines, and androsterones. Using PLS-DA, 25 of the top 30 metabolites differentiating maternal groups were reduced by alcohol with medium-chain free fatty acids and oxidized sugar derivatives having the greatest influence. A separate ortho-PLS-DA analysis identified a common set of 13 metabolites that were associated with infant length, weight, and head circumference. These included monoacylglycerols, glycerol-3-phosphate, and unidentified metabolites, and most of their associations were negative, implying they represent processes having adverse consequences for fetal development.
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  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
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  • Attribution 4.0 International
Journal title
  • Nutrients
Journal volume
  • 14
Journal issue
  • 24
Language
  • English
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  • Publisher
Funder
  • National Institutes of Health, NIH: AA015134; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIAAA
ISSN
  • 2072-6643
Publisher
  • MDPI

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