Investigating the progression of preeclampsia through a comprehensive analysis of genes associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Abstract

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals utilized in the production of various products that possess water and dirt-repellent properties. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to numerous diseases, such as cancer and preeclampsia (PE). However, whether PFAS contributes to the advancement of PE remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted an extensive bioinformatics analysis using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, leading us to discover a connection between PE and four specific PFAS. Moreover, further examination revealed that six genes associated with PFAS exhibited significant diagnostic potential for individuals with PE. By employing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, our PFAS-related gene-based nomogram model demonstrated outstanding predictive efficacy for diagnosing PE. Immune infiltration analysis showed that six PFAS-related genes were significantly associated with the level of immune cell infiltration. The expression of PFAS-related genes in PE patients was confirmed by collecting clinical samples. This research has offered fresh perspectives on comprehending the impact of PFAS on PE, drawing attention to the connection between environmental factors and the risks and development of PE.

Keywords:

• Preeclampsia
• immune cell infiltration
• pFAS
• polyfluoroalkyl
• diagnosis

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Nantong Tongzhou People’s Hospital.

Author contributions

Qiuyan Ge wrote the manuscript. Ju Zhao analyzed the data and produced the figures. Fujuan Qu reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data used in the present study were available from the GEO database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Nantong Basic Science Research and Social Livelihood Science and Technology Plan Project [JC12022093] and Research project of Nantong Municipal Health Commission [MS2023129].