Pilot Metabolome-Wide Association Study of Benzo(a)pyrene in Serum From Military Personnel

OBJECTIVE:A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of using Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) samples to study health and exposure-related effects. METHODS:Thirty unidentified human serum samples were obtained from the DoDSR and analyzed for normal serum metabolites with high-resolution mass spectrometry and serum levels of free benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Metabolic associations with BaP were determined using a metabolome-wide association study (MWAS) and metabolic pathway enrichment. RESULTS:The serum analysis detected normal ranges of glucose, selected amino acids, fatty acids, and creatinine. Free BaP was detected in a broad concentration range. MWAS of BaP showed associations with lipids, fatty acids, and sulfur amino acid metabolic pathways. CONCLUSION:The results show that the DoDSR samples are of sufficient quality for chemical profiling of DoD personnel.