The exposome, first defined in 2005, aims to describe all environmental exposures throughout life, including the prenatal period, and their health effects.[1] It encompasses psychosocial factors such as stress or work environment, various factors associated with the natural environment and climate, as well as physical and chemical influences, such as, e.g., (early life) food consumption or exposure to contaminants. Especially critical is the period from conception up to the first few years of life, due to the developing metabolism and the low body weight. [2]

To fully address the complexity of the chemical exposome, it is necessary to include a wide array of measurement tools, starting from simple questionnaires, over wearable sensors up to advanced “omics” analytical techniques. [3]

While the number of exposome studies is constantly increasing, the analysis of the metallome (i.e., “all” metals, metalloids and eventually also non-metals) is typically neglected or reduced to a single or a few heavy metals, like mercury or lead. Since many metal(loid)s may have detrimental effects on our health, be it through toxicity at high doses or through deficiency of essential minerals, it is crucial to establish metallome analysis as standard procedure in exposome approaches.

Within the framework of Exposome Austria, we explored analytical strategies to include multi-element analysis via ICP-MS into established -omics workflows. In a pilot study, existing tissue and blood extracts from metabolomics measurements were evaluated on their suitability for multi-element analysis. Emerging challenges were systematically assessed, and fit-for-purpose solutions were developed.

Further, the concentrations of 57 elements were determined in matched samples of placenta, maternal blood and cord blood from healthy pregnancies and cases of pregnancy diseases (i.e., preterm birth, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction). The results were evaluated in combination with data from targeted and non-targeted exposomics and metabolomics analysis, and various parameters, e.g. placental transfer rates, were calculated.

Overall, the presented work highlights the importance of metallome analysis for exposome studies and showcases how synergies can be leveraged from the combination of different analytical approaches, to get one step closer to a holistic view of the human exposome.

References

[1] C.P Wild Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.,2005, 14(8), 1847-1850.

[2] M. Krausová et al. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol.,2023, 63, 517-40.

[3] V. Siroux et al. Eur. Respir. Rev.,2016, 25, 124-129.