POPgut - The impact of persistent organic pollutants exposure on gut health

The main source of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is through diet and thus, the gut is the main route by which pollutants enter the body. The exposure to POPs may change the gut microbiota and its metabolome which in turn can have significant health impacts in the human host. In POPgut, we will employ targeted and non-targeted metabolomics approaches to explore how different exposure levels of POPs modulates the gut metabolome. We will utilize an in vitro fermentation model to simulate human digestion and expose the system with different levels of POPs mixture mimicking human exposure levels. Obtained data will be associated to data from both cohort studies and animal models providing novel insights into the interplay between POPs exposure, gut microbiota functioning and human health.