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Updated: Jan 8, 2026
Fluorescence-mediated Tomography for the Detection and Quantification of Macrophage-related Murine Intestinal Inflammation
Published on: December 15, 2017
Decipher the molecular network of PFOA in inflammatory bowel disease through integrating machine learning, molecular
Gang Chen1, Hang Yuan1, XiaoPeng Li1
1Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710061, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Objective:
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), widely recognized as an enduring environmental pollutant, is associated with immune system disruption and potential cancer-causing effects. Epidemiological findings show that serum power is significantly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the specific mechanisms driving these effects remain poorly understood.
Methods:
Possible targets associated with PFOA were obtained from various sources. Transcriptomic data from IBD patients were sourced through GEO. To delve into the binding interactions of PFOA with its target proteins, we employed machine learning techniques, network toxicology approaches, as well as molecular docking strategies.
Results:
This study reveals that PFOA has the potential to promote the development of IBD by affecting certain genes and signaling pathways. ABCB1, HSD17B11, PDK2, LCN2, SETD7, and MMP1 were identified as six pivotal genes via machine learning, and molecular docking verified that PFOA has a strong binding affinity with important goals. In validation, we found that the expression of LCN2 is elevated by PFOA in NCM460 and HT29 cells, with higher concentrations leading to a corresponding increase in expression levels.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that PFOA has the potential to promote development of IBD. The results may offer important insights into the advancement of understanding IBD mechanisms associated with PFOA.
