Table 5.
Pathways significantly altered due to chronic maternal cortisol exposure in late gestation as identified by overrepresentation analysis
| Pathway | No. Metabolite Hits/No. Total Metabolites | P Value | FDR-Corrected P Value | Significant Metabolite(s) Increased in Controls | Significant Metabolite(s) Increased in Cortisol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn heart | |||||
| Alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism | 3/24 | 7.04E−05 | 5.63E−03 | Glutamate | Glutamine, succinate |
| Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis | 3/75 | 2.13E−03 | 0.06 | Glutamate | Glutamine, valine |
| Propanoate metabolism | 2/35 | 6.94E−03 | 0.10 | — | Succinate, valine |
| Nitrogen metabolism | 2/39 | 8.57E−03 | 0.10 | Glutamate | Glutamine |
| Glycerophospholipid metabolism | 2/39 | 8.57E−03 | 0.10 | GPC, cardiolipin | — |
| Butanoate metabolism | 2/40 | 9.01E−03 | 0.10 | Glutamate | Succinate |
| Fetal serum | |||||
| Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis | 5/75 | 1.72E−05 | 1.18E−03 | Methionine | Valine, leucine, isoleucine, glycine |
| BCAA degradation | 4/40 | 2.94E−05 | 1.18E−03 | — | Valine, leucine, isoleucine, 3-hydroxyisobutyrate |
| BCAA biosynthesis | 3/27 | 2.59E−04 | 6.91E−03 | — | Valine, leucine, isoleucine |
| Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism | 3/48 | 1.44E−03 | 0.03 | Creatine | Choline, glycine |
FDR, false discovery rate; BCAA, branched-chain amino acid; GPC, glycerophosphocholine.