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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Environ Int. 2023 Sep 9;180:108198. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108198

Table 2.

Association of serum metabolites with PFOA in a cross-sectional analysis of 3,647 participants from eight nested case-control serum metabolomic studies from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (metabolites ordered by chemical class and pathway)

All Subjects Adjustment with PFOSa
Metabolite (HMDB ID) Chemical class Sub-pathway Overall effect
estimate (β)
(95% CI)
P-value P heterogeneity
by study
Overall effect
estimate (β)
(95% CI)
P-value P heterogeneity by
study
Cysteine-S-sulfate (HMDB00731) Amino Acid Methionine, Cysteine, SAM and Taurine Metabolism 0.07 (0.04,0.09) 5.18E-07 0.41 0.06 (0.04,0.09) 6.52E-06 0.12
1,5-Anhydrosorbitol (HMDB02712) Carbohydrate Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis, and Pyruvate Metabolism 0.07 (0.05,0.1) 8.00E-08 0.50 0.05 (0.02,0.07) 2.43E-05 0.64
Trigonelline (HMDB00875) Cofactors and Vitamins Nicotinate and Nicotinamide Metabolism 0.04 (0.02,0.05) 3.94E-08 0.53 0.02 (0.01,0.03) 4.84E-04 0.76
4-androsten-3alpha,17alpha-diol monosulfate (2) or Androstenediol (3alpha, 17alpha) monsulfate (2) Lipid Androgenic Steroids 0.03 (0.02,0.04) 3.13E-06 0.53 0.02 (0,0.03) 0.01 0.41
5alpha-Androstan-3alpha,17beta-diol disulfate Lipid Androgenic Steroids 0.05 (0.03,0.07) 2.38E-05 0.02 0.02 (0.01,0.03) 0.003 0.26
SM(d18:0/18:0) (HMDB12087) Lipid Dihydrosphingomyelins 0.20 (0.12,0.27) 8.61E-08 0.67 0.08 (0.02,0.13) 0.005 0.89
SM(d18:0/20:0) Lipid Dihydrosphingomyelins 0.21 (0.15,0.28) 4.13E-10 0.61 0.08 (0.03,0.13) 0.002 0.72
Lignoceroylcarnitine (C24) Lipid Fatty Acid Metabolism 0.16 (0.09,0.23) 6.23E-06 0.58 0.03 (−0.03,0.09) 0.38 0.25
Hexanoylcarnitine (HMDB00705) Lipid Fatty Acid Metabolism (Acyl Carnitine, Medium Chain) 0.07 (0.04,0.11) 3.47E-05 0.29 0.04 (0.02,0.07) 2.91E-04 0.46
9-Decenoylcarnitine Lipid Fatty Acid Metabolism (Acyl Carnitine, Monounsaturat 0.09 (0.05,0.13) 2.98E-05 0.11 0.04 (0.02,0.06) 1.57E-04 0.44
3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-pentyl-2-furanpropionate (3-CMPFP) Lipid Fatty Acid, Dicarboxylate 0.16 (0.12,0.2) 1.11E-17 0.42 0.04 (0.01,0.07) 0.01 0.81
Eicosanodioate Lipid Fatty Acid, Dicarboxylate 0.12 (0.07,0.16) 8.66E-07 0.37 0.02 (−0.02,0.05) 0.37 0.33
Maleic acid (HMDB00176) Lipid Fatty Acid, Dicarboxylate 0.05 (0.03,0.08) 4.81E-06 0.92 0.03 (0.01,0.04) 0.004 0.89
(R)-2-Hydroxycaprylic acid (HMDB02264) Lipid Fatty Acid, Monohydroxy 0.1 (0.06,0.13) 8.36E-07 0.28 0.03 (0,0.06) 0.08 0.20
SM(d18:1/18:0) (HMDB01348) Lipid Sphingomyelins 0.25 (0.16,0.34) 2.01E-08 0.49 0.06 (−0.01,0.12) 0.09 0.45
SM(d18:1/18:1(9Z)) (HMDB12101) Lipid Sphingomyelins 0.24 (0.16,0.32) 1.10E-09 0.35 0.12 (0.06,0.17) 1.60E-05 0.93
Glycosyl-N-behenoyl-sphingadienine (d18:2/22:0)* Lipid Hexosylceramides (HCER) 0.26 (0.14,0.37) 9.62E-06 0.24 0.06 (−0.02,0.13) 0.13 0.88
Lactosylceramide (d18:1/24:1(15Z)) Lipid Lactosylceramides (LCER) 0.22 (0.12,0.32) 0.00003 0.71 0.01 (−0.06,0.09) 0.72 0.52
1-linoleoylglycerophosphoinositol* or 1-linoleoyl-GPI (18:2)* Lipid Lysophospholipid 0.13 (0.07,0.19) 6.48E-06 0.04 0.04 (0,0.08) 0.04 0.15
3 beta-Hydroxy-5-cholestenoate Lipid Sterol 0.24 (0.14,0.33) 4.74E-07 0.15 0.08 (0.02,0.13) 0.004 0.38
Uric acid (HMDB00289) Nucleotide Purine Metabolism, (Hypo)Xanthine/Inosine containing 0.28 (0.16,0.41) 1.23E-05 0.02 0.12 (0.05,0.19) 0.0009 0.25
3-methylcytidine Nucleotide Pyrimidine Metabolism, Cytidine containing 0.15 (0.08,0.22) 3.93E-05 0.09 0.05 (0,0.1) 0.04 0.13
Leucyl-Alanine (HMDB28922) Peptide Dipeptide 0.07 (0.04,0.11) 4.31E-05 0.33 0.05 (0.02,0.07) 2.25E-04 0.96
O-methoxycatechol-O-sulphate (HMDB60013) Xenobiotics Benzoate Metabolism 0.05 (0.03,0.07) 4.38E-06 0.42 0.02 (0,0.04) 0.02 0.27
3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid Xenobiotics Chemical 0.48 (0.35,0.61) 6.82E-13 0.003 0.06 (−0.16,0.28) 0.6 9.09E-10
3-bromo-5-chloro-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid Xenobiotics Chemical 0.39 (0.23,0.55) 2.29E-06 0.003 0.08 (−0.21,0.36) 0.6 9.63E-10
4-hydroxychlorothalonil Xenobiotics Chemical 0.21 (0.13,0.3) 1.26E-06 1.18E-06 0.00 (−0.06,0.06) 0.96 0.0005
Quinic acid (HMDB03072) Xenobiotics Food Component/Plant 0.03 (0.01,0.04) 6.88E-06 0.32 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.002 0.63
1,3,7-Trimethyluric acid (HMDB02123) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.04) 7.40E-10 0.70 0.01 (0.01,0.02) 0.001 0.60
1,3-Dimethyluric acid (HMDB01857) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.02 (0.01,0.03) 5.23E-07 0.66 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.03 0.76
1,7-Dimethyluric acid (HMDB11103) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.04) 1.32E-09 0.86 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.003 0.43
1-Methyluric acid (HMDB03099) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.04 (0.02,0.05) 1.37E-06 0.36 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.01 0.71
1-Methylxanthine (HMDB10738) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.04 (0.02,0.05) 2.31E-09 0.82 0.01 (0.01,0.02) 0.002 0.49
5-Acetylamino-6-amino-3-methyluracil (HMDB04400) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.02 (0.01,0.03) 3.71E-08 0.52 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.01 0.61
Caffeine (HMDB01847) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.04) 3.51E-10 0.63 0.01 (0,0.02) 0.02 0.16
Paraxanthine (HMDB01860) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.05) 1.52E-10 0.86 0.02 (0,0.03) 0.01 0.29
Theobromine (HMDB02825) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.04) 2.71E-05 0.60 0.01 (0,0.03) 0.11 0.15
Theophylline (HMDB01889) Xenobiotics Xanthine Metabolism 0.03 (0.02,0.05) 1.96E-10 0.96 0.02 (0.01,0.02) 0.001 0.49

PFOA, perfluorooctanoate; PFOS, perfluorooctane sulfonate; HMDB, Human Metabolome Database

Results are based on a population of 3,647 participants [prostate cancer among non-Hispanic Black men (cases=220, controls=219), prostate cancer (cases=356, controls=372), esophageal cancer (cases=131, controls=127), glioma cancer (cases=161, controls=163), breast cancer (cases=604, controls=605), pancreatic cancer (cases=107, controls=103), endometrial cancer (cases=190, controls=191), and multivitamin exposure study (multivitamin users=49, non-users=49)]. Within each specific study, the association between metabolite levels and PFOA was modeled using linear regression, adjusted for age at specimen collection, race/ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, case status, study center, year of specimen collection. Sex was additionally adjusted for studies of pancreatic cancer, glioma, and multivitamin study. The combined model was conducted using random effects meta-analysis.

a

PFOS was further adjusted in linear regression models.

b

Only the metabolites that met the Bonferroni corrected threshold of statistical significance in the combined models (0.05/1,100 = 4.55x10−5) are shown here.

Metabolites with a single asterisk (*) have identification level 2 no standards or matching spectra were available for them.