---
title: "Metabolism of trichloroethylene (TCE) in mice after 100 ppm inhalation exposure"
id: "biorxiv-14-metabolism-of-trichloroethylene-following-inhalation-exposure-in-mice"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-14-metabolism-of-trichloroethylene-following-inhalation-exposure-in-mice"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758615v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-10-19T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Metabolism of trichloroethylene (TCE) in mice after 100 ppm inhalation exposure
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-14-metabolism-of-trichloroethylene-following-inhalation-exposure-in-mice
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758615v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-19T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Investigators exposed mice to **TCE** at 100 ppm for 4 hours and collected plasma, brain, and liver up to 24 hours after exposure. Short sentence: exposure was inhalational and time-limited. - The study used high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) on a liquid chromatography platform (LC-MS/MS) with a single extraction protocol to detect targeted and untargeted metabolites. - Targeted analytes for which methods were developed included trichloroacetic acid (TCA), dichloroacetic acid (**DCA**), monochloroacetic acid (MCA), trichloroethanol (TCEOH), trichloroethanol glucuronide (**TCEOH-gluc**), DCVG, DCVC, NAcDCVC, and others; the source reported which of these were actually identified in biological samples. - Targeted analysis identified **DCA**, **TCA**, and **TCEOH-gluc** in TCE-exposed mouse samples; the authors reported these as the most prevalent metabolites detected following the exposure regimen. - Untargeted HRMS analysis of mouse brain revealed both previously known and novel metabolic pathway perturbations associated with **TCE** exposure. The authors observed pathway-level changes but did not detail exact pathway names in the abstract. - The study links environmental **TCE** exposure to a research interest in Parkinson’s disease (**Parkinson's disease**), noting that metabolite formation may mediate toxicity; however, the source stated there is limited knowledge about which metabolites drive neurotoxicity. - Authors provided data and code links (GitHub and Dryad) and noted the preprint status; competing interests were declared as none. - The authors concluded that **DCA**, **TCA**, and **TCEOH-gluc** were the most prevalent metabolites detected in mice after the specified inhalation exposure and that novel pathway perturbations merit further study to clarify mechanisms of toxicity.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Metabolism of trichloroethylene following inhalation exposure in mice | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Metabolism of trichloroethylene following inhalation exposure in mice View ORCID Profile Jocelyn Dicent , View ORCID Profile Carolina Duarte Hospital , View ORCID Profile Neda M. Ilieva , View ORCID Profile Randolph R. Singh , View ORCID Profile Briana R. De Miranda , View ORCID Profile Gary W. Miller doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.13.758615 Jocelyn Dicent 1 Columbia University; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Jocelyn Dicent Carolina Duarte Hospital 2 IARC; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Carolina Duarte Hospital Neda M. Ilieva 3 University of Alabama at Birmingham Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Neda M. Ilieva Randolph R. Singh 1 Columbia University; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Randolph R. Singh Briana R. De Miranda 3 University of Alabama at Birmingham Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Briana R. De Miranda Gary W. Miller 1 Columbia University; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Gary W. Miller For correspondence: gm2815{at}cumc.columbia.edu Abstract Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Data/Code Preview PDF Abstract Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a pervasive environmental pollutant associated with elevated risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies characterizing TCE metabolism in humans indicate that 40 - 75% of the absorbed dose is metabolized, suggesting that TCE toxicity may be attributable to its metabolites. However, there is limited knowledge of TCE metabolite neurotoxicity. We conducted a TCE inhalation study in mice followed by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) on brain, liver, and blood to identify which TCE metabolites were present following human-relevant TCE exposure. Mice were exposed to 100 ppm TCE for 4 hours. Plasma, brain, and liver were collected from each animal up to 24 hours after exposure. We developed a method capable of detecting TCE metabolites trichloroacetic acid (TCA), dichloroacetic acid (DCA), monochloroacetic acid (MCA), trichloroethanol (TCEOH), trichloroethanol glucuronide (TCEOH-gluc), S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)glutathione (DCVG), S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC), N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (NAcDCVC), and untargeted metabolites using a single extraction protocol on a liquid chromatography-based mass spectrometry system (LC-MS/MS). Targeted analysis of TCE-exposed biological samples identified DCA, TCA, and TCEOH-gluc. Untargeted analysis of TCE-exposed mouse brain revealed previously established and novel pathway perturbations associated with TCE exposure. Together, these findings indicate that DCA, TCA, and TCEOH-gluc are the most prevalent TCE metabolites in mice. The novel pathways perturbed by TCE exposure warrant further exploration to better understand the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of TCE and its metabolites Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes https://github.com/jdicent1/TCE-Mouse-Metabolism https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw4d0 https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.eq2lym6rwlx9/v1 Funder Information Declared National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) , T32 ES007322 , R01ES034846 , U2C ES030163 , R01ES023839 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences , UL1-TR00187 National Institute on Aging, https://ror.org/049v75w11 , R01AG067501 , RF1AG066107 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) , T32 NS095775 Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted October 19, 2026. Download PDF Supplementary Material Data/Code Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Metabolism of trichloroethylene following inhalation exposure in mice Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Metabolism of trichloroethylene following inhalation exposure in mice Jocelyn Dicent , Carolina Duarte Hospital , Neda M. Ilieva , Randolph R. Singh , Briana R. De Miranda , Gary W. Miller bioRxiv 2026.10.13.758615; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.13.758615 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Metabolism of trichloroethylene following inhalation exposure in mice Jocelyn Dicent , Carolina Duarte Hospital , Neda M. Ilieva , Randolph R. Singh , Briana R. De Miranda , Gary W. Miller bioRxiv 2026.10.13.758615; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.13.758615 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (8160) Biochemistry (19007) Bioengineering (15143) Bioinformatics (45203) Biophysics (22937) Cancer Biology (20059) Cell Biology (27259) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (14119) Ecology (21362) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (25751) Genetics (16313) Genomics (23790) Immunology (18984) Microbiology (43114) Molecular Biology (18298) Neuroscience (94881) Paleontology (711) Pathology (3025) Pharmacology and Toxicology (5179) Physiology (8257) Plant Biology (16238) Scientific Communication and Education (2113) Synthetic Biology (4634) Systems Biology (10367) Zoology (2419)
## Related Clinical Research

- [Selectivity Dilution in Three-Factor Learning: Implications for Motor Development and Post-Stroke](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-6-selectivity-dilution-in-three-factor-learning-a-finite-population-model-with.md)
- [Timed binary WNT activity models the early human neural axis — preprint report](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-12-timed-binary-wnt-activity-is-sufficient-to-model-the-early-human-neural-axis.md)
- [Ultra-processed foods linked to MRI signs of vascular brain injury in middle-aged adults](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-ultra-processed-foods-may-be-harming-brain-health-in-otherwise-healthy-adults.md)
- [Global dementia incidence projected to reach 24.7 million new cases annually by 2050](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-dementia-cases-to-double-by-2050-why-women-some-countries-may-be-at-higher-risk.md)
- [High-definition 0.75 Hz so-tDCS for older adults with SCD and sleep disturbance: randomized trial](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-13-personalized-assessment-of-high-definition-slow-oscillatory-transcranial-direct.md)

## Navigation
- [← Back to Neurology Feed](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- [← All Clinical Specialties](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed.md)
## Medical & Regulatory Disclaimer

> [!CAUTION]
> MedicHelpline content is structured for research, educational, and professional discovery purposes. It does not constitute individual medical advice, clinical diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.
> Always verify dosing, contraindications, and regulatory alerts against official product labeling and primary regulatory sources before clinical decision-making.