Did you know?
Metabolomic signatures can potentially predict the future onset of diseases before any clinical symptoms appear. They can also foreshadow the development of conditions like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases years before traditional diagnostic criteria could identify them.
Metabolomic Signature
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
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Karen Pendergrass
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease—four years before the first published case study.
Fact-checked by:
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Kimberly Eyer
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Kimberly Eyer
Kimberly Eyer, a Registered Nurse with 30 years of nursing experience across diverse settings, including Home Health, ICU, Operating Room Nursing, and Research. Her roles have encompassed Operating Room Nurse, RN First Assistant, and Acting Director of a Same Day Surgery Center. Her specialty areas include Adult Cardiac Surgery, Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Neurosurgery.
Metabolomic signatures are unique metabolite patterns linked to specific biological conditions, identified through metabolomics. They reveal underlying biochemical activities, aiding in disease diagnosis, biomarker development, and personalized medicine. The microbiome significantly affects these signatures, influencing health and disease outcomes through metabolic interactions.
Research feed -
Karen Pendergrass
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Kimberly Eyer
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
ID
Karen Pendergrass
Fact-checked by:
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Kimberly Eyer
ID
Kimberly Eyer
Microbiome Signatures identifies and validates condition-specific microbiome shifts and interventions to accelerate clinical translation. Our multidisciplinary team supports clinicians, researchers, and innovators in turning microbiome science into actionable medicine.
Karen Pendergrass
Overview 
Research Feed Overview
A metabolomic signature consists of a unique set of metabolites indicating a specific biological state or condition. It represents a pattern of metabolites consistently linked to a particular phenotype, disease, response, or exposure. Metabolomics identifies this signature by analyzing all metabolites in a biological sample at a certain time. The signature acts as a functional readout of microbial activity within the host, showing how the microbiome affects health and disease. Researchers have identified metabolomic signatures for conditions like obesity, colorectal cancer risk [x], and endometriosis. This highlights the potential of combining metabolomics with microbiome research to improve diagnostics and treatments in medicine.
Utility
Metabolomic signatures are valuable because they provide insight into the biochemical activity within cells or organisms under specific conditions. For example, in the context of disease, a metabolomic signature can help identify unique metabolites or changes in metabolite levels that occur in response to the disease process. This can lead to the development of biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of disease states. Additionally, these signatures can reveal the impact of therapeutic interventions, helping to understand drug mechanisms or the effects of lifestyle changes on metabolic processes. In research and clinical diagnostics, identifying and understanding metabolomic signatures can thus play a crucial role in precision medicine, allowing for tailored treatments based on the metabolic profiles corresponding to individual patient conditions. The metabolomic signature and the microbiome are intricately connected, as the activities of the microbiome significantly influence the metabolomic profile of a host organism.
How are microbes and metabolites intricately connected?
Microbes and Metabolites
Microbial Metabolism: The microbiome, particularly the gut microbiota, processes dietary components and host-derived substrates, producing a wide range of metabolites. These microbial metabolites are key components of the host’s metabolomic signature. For instance, the metabolism of dietary fiber by gut bacteria produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which are critical for maintaining gut health and have systemic effects on the host.
Biochemical Signaling: Metabolites produced by the microbiome can act as signaling molecules that affect the host’s physiological processes. For example, certain gut-derived metabolites influence immune responses, inflammation levels, and even the functioning of distant organs such as the brain (illustrating the gut-brain axis).
Disease States: Alterations in the microbiome, known as dysbiosis, can lead to changes in the production of these metabolites, thus altering the host’s metabolomic signature. This has been observed in various conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The metabolomic signatures associated with these states can help in understanding the role of the microbiome in disease development and progression.
Biomarker Discovery: By analyzing metabolomic signatures that correlate with specific microbiome configurations, researchers identify biomarkers for various health conditions. They use these biomarkers for early disease detection, monitoring disease progression, and tailoring personalized treatment strategies based on an individual’s microbiome and metabolomic data.
Therapeutic Targets: Understanding the metabolomic signatures related to microbiome activities helps identify potential therapeutic targets. For example, modifying the diet to change microbiome-derived metabolites (like increasing SCFA production through fiber-rich diets) can be a strategy to manage or prevent disease.
Research Feed
Persistent Organic Pollutants and Endometriosis
March 25, 2024
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Endometriosis
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Endometriosis
Did you know?
Gut microbiota predict endometriosis better than vaginal microbiota.
This study links persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to metabolic alterations in deep endometriosis, identifying trans-nonachlor and 2-hydroxybutyrate as key markers.
What Was Studied?
This study explored the relationship between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the risk of surgically confirmed deep endometriosis by integrating high-resolution metabolomic profiling. It aimed to characterize metabolic changes associated with POP exposure, focusing on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), and per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The researchers utilized advanced analytical techniques such as gas and liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Who Was Studied?
A hospital-based case-control cohort in France was recruited, consisting of women with surgically confirmed deep endometriosis and matched controls without the condition. Serum samples were collected from these participants to measure POP levels and conduct comprehensive metabolomic profiling. The study controlled for confounding variables such as demographic and lifestyle factors, ensuring a robust statistical analysis.
What Were the Most Important Findings?
The study identified significant links between specific POPs and endometriosis risk. Trans-nonachlor, an organochlorinated pesticide, emerged as the most strongly associated pollutant, doubling the risk of deep endometriosis. Other key POPs included PCBs 180 and 167. Metabolomic profiling revealed distinctive metabolic disruptions in women with endometriosis. These included elevated serum levels of lactate, ketone bodies, multiple amino acids, reduced bile acids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), cortisol, and hippuric acid. A noteworthy finding was the metabolite 2-hydroxybutyrate, which correlated with both trans-nonachlor exposure and endometriosis risk, acting as a potential biomarker of the disease and its environmental exposure.
What Are the Greatest Implications of This Study?
This study is groundbreaking in linking POP exposure to metabolic alterations in deep endometriosis, suggesting an environmental component to the disease's pathogenesis. The findings highlight the potential of metabolomic biomarkers, like 2-hydroxybutyrate, for early diagnosis and monitoring of environmental risk factors. These results emphasize the importance of further research to clarify causal relationships and develop interventions to reduce exposure to harmful pollutants. Clinically, integrating metabolomic and environmental data could improve risk assessment and individualized treatment approaches for endometriosis patients.
Endometrial whole metabolome profile at the receptive phase: influence of Mediterranean Diet and infertility
This study analyzed the endometrial metabolome of 45 infertile women, revealing 925 metabolites with a dominance of PUFAs. It found that Mediterranean Diet adherence impacts the endometrial environment, suggesting diet modifications could enhance fertility.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis involves ectopic endometrial tissue causing pain and infertility. Validated and Promising Interventions include Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), Low Nickel Diet, and Metronidazole therapy.