Polysaccharides modulate environmental exposure-induced metabolic dysfunctions

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS) is a synthetic chemical that is resistant to degradation and thus has been widely detected in environmental and biological matrices. People are mainly exposed to PFOS through drinking water and contaminated food. PFOS exposure is associated with gut dysbiosis and liver metabolic dysfunctions, therefore increasing metabolic disease risks.

Dietary fibers are polysaccharides that could improve gut microbiome and host metabolism. Dr. Pan Deng (College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University) collaborated with Dr. Hennig Bernhard (Superfund Research Center, University of Kentucky) to investigate the role of different polysaccharides (inulin and pectin) on PFOS-induced disruption of hepatic and gut microbiota health. The results were published in Environmental Health Perspectives (https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP11360) titled “Metabolomic, Lipidomic, Transcriptomic, and Metagenomic Analyses in Mice Exposed to PFOS and Fed Soluble and Insoluble Dietary Fibers”.

Dr. Deng’s group investigates the impact of environmental factors on liver metabolism using multi-omics techniques (Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol.2020, Chemosphere 2019), and explores the modulation of the gut microbiome and host metabolism by polysaccharides (J. Proteome Res. 2021, J Lipid Res. 2020). The current research was conducted on the basis of those previous studies and findings. It was found that inulin and pectin could protect against gut dysbiosis (Figure 1) and liver metabolic and transcriptomic changes induced by PFOS exposure (Figure 2). In addition, different fibers exerted varied effects, with inulin being more efficient in protecting against PFOS-induced dysfunctions compared with pectin, as evidenced by more pronounced effects in modulating hepatic sphingolipid metabolism. This study provided new knowledge and groundwork for designing intervention strategies against environmental exposure-induced metabolic diseases.   

Reference

Environ Health Perspect. 2022, 130(11):117003

Publication Date: 4 November 2022

https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP11360

Figure 1. The effects of polysaccharide supplemented diets on gut microbiome structure after PFOS exposure. A: cellulose control diet, B: inulin supplemented diet, C: pectin supplemented diet

Figure 2. The effects of polysaccharide supplemented diets on hepatic transcriptome after PFOS exposure

Corresponding author

Prof. Pan Deng’s lab focuses on metabolism research, including drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, microbiome metabolism and function, and environmental pollutant and human metabolism interactions. She has published more than 40 articles, including the first/corresponding authored paper on Environ Health Perspect, Anal. Chim. Acta, J. Med. Chem,J. Lipid Res, andChemosphere.