Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41162609›Full record

ArticleCommunications medicine2025

Translational framework linking perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) exposure to metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease in adolescents.

Brittney O Baumert, Ana C Maretti-Mira, Douglas I Walker, Zhenjiang Li, Nikos Stratakis, Hongxu Wang, Yinqi Zhao, Fabian Christoph Fischer, Qiran Jia, Damaskini Valvi and 19 more

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Article in Communications medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

29 authors.

Brittney O Baumert *Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. bbaumert@usc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1220-8557
Ana C Maretti-Mira *USC Research Center for Liver Diseases, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Douglas I WalkerGangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Zhenjiang LiDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4806-6231
Nikos StratakisBarcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4613-0989
Hongxu WangDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Yinqi ZhaoDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Fabian Christoph FischerDepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
Qiran JiaDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0790-5967
Damaskini ValviDepartment of Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Scott M BartellDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
Jiawen Carmen ChenDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Thomas IngeDepartment of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Justin R RyderDepartment of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Todd JenkinsCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Stephanie SisleyDepartment of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Stavra XanthakosCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
David E KleinerNational Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3442-4453
Rohit KohliDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0198-7703
Sarah RockDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Sandrah P EckelDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-7880
Michele A La MerrillDepartment of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5720-5862
Max M AungDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Matthew P SalomonUSC Research Center for Liver Diseases, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Rob McConnellDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jesse GoodrichDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6615-0472
David V ContiDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2941-7833
Lucy Golden-MasonUSC Research Center for Liver Diseases, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2087-4405
Lida ChatziDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

Translational Research Support CoreP30ES007048 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI ROB S MCCONNELL · 1996 to 2026
$46.4M
University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UL1TR000114 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R · 2012 to 2015
$35.0M
Statistical Methods for Integrative Genomics in CancerP01CA196569 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI David V Conti · 2016 to 2026
$25.5M
The Mount Sinai Transdisciplinary Center on Early Environmental ExposuresP30ES023515 · NIEHS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI Chris Gennings · 2014 to 2026
$21.3M
Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) Research ProjectUM1DK072493 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI INGE, THOMAS HARRIS · 2011 to 2020
$10.5M
Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences and TrainingUL1TR000077 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI HEUBI, JAMES E., TSEVAT, JOEL · 2012 to 2014
$9.9M
Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) renewalUM1DK095710 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI JENKINS, TODD M, XIE, CHANGCHUN · 2011 to 2020
$9.4M
Southern California Superfund Research and Training Program for PFAS Assessment, Remediation, and Prevention (ShARP)P42ES036506 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI VAIA LIDA CHATZI · 2025 to 2026
$8.2M
Untargeted Analysis ResourceU2CES030859 · NIEHS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI ARORA, MANISH · 2019 to 2025
$8.2M
Training Grant in Genomic Analysis and InterpretationT32ES013678 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI GAUDERMAN, WILLIAM JAMES, MCCONNELL, ROB S · 2006 to 2023
$5.6M
Translation CoreP2CES033433 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Jill E Johnston, Elizabeth Mary Kamai · 2022 to 2026
$4.9M
Effects of DDE exposure on adipose tissue function, weight loss and metabolic improvement after bariatric surgery: A new paradigm for study of lipophilic chemicalsR01ES030364 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI CHATZI, VAIA LIDA · 2020 to 2024
$3.2M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000077NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000114NCI NIH HHS P01 CA196569NHGRI NIH HHS U01 HG013288NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK117004NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK128117NIDDK NIH HHS UM1 DK072493NIDDK NIH HHS UM1 DK095710NIEHS NIH HHS P2C ES033433NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES007048NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES023515NIEHS NIH HHS P42 ES036506NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES029944NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES030364NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES030691NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES032831NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES033688NIEHS NIH HHS R21 ES029681NIEHS NIH HHS R21 ES035148NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES013678NIEHS NIH HHS U2C ES030859U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) P42ES036506U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) R01ES030364U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) R01ES030691
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe rising prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), particularly among pediatric populations, requires identification of modifiable risk factors to control disease progression. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as potential contributors to liver damage; however, their role in MASLD remains underexplored. This study aimed to develop a translational framework integrating human and in vitro data to elucidate the effect of PFAS on MASLD development.

methodsWe measured PFAS plasma levels in the Teen-LABS cohort (n = 136), comprising adolescents with obesity (mean age = 16.8 years) undergoing bariatric surgery. Plasma samples were also analyzed using proteomic and metabolomic assays. MASLD was diagnosed by liver biopsy examination. Human liver spheroids were exposed to perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) in vitro and analyzed by single-cell transcriptomics. The latent unknown clustering with integrated data (LUCID) model was employed to assess associations between PFHpA exposure, multiomic signatures, and MASLD risk.

resultsHere we show that, among all PFAS measured, doubling of PFHpA levels is associated with an 80% higher MASLD risk (OR, 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.5). Integrated human and in vitro analyses suggest dysregulation of pathways involved in inflammation and lipid metabolism. A distinct proteome profile is associated with significantly higher odds of MASLD (OR = 7.1).

conclusionsThis study offers evidence implicating PFHpA, a short-chain unregulated PFAS congener, in MASLD development in adolescents, and highlights the critical role of protein dysregulation in disease pathogenesis. The molecular mechanisms identified here can inform the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

Identifiers

PMID41162609
PMCPMC12572386

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.