Yurong Cui, Gan Miao, Duxing Li, Tian Qiu, Peijie Sun, Yuebin Lv, Xiaohan Sun, Yijiao Li, Rong Zhang, Lin Lu, Xiaoting Jin, Yuxin Zheng
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are prevalent indoor pollutants, posing significant health risks. However, current toxicological data focus predominantly on individual compounds, leaving a critical gap in understanding how exposure to mixed VOCs alters the plasma proteome and impacts health risk prediction. Herein, we investigated VOCs-induced hematological disturbances using a whole-body inhalation exposure model with C57BL/6J mice (n = 3) exposed to decoration-derived VOCs for 8 weeks. By integrating plasma proteomics with machine learning, we demonstrated that VOCs exposure significantly disrupts hemostatic homeostasis, primarily by perturbing the complement and coagulation cascades. Network enrichment and correlation analyses further identified a network of suppressed pathways (e.g., platelet activation and focal adhesion) and activated pathways (e.g., necroptosis and IL-17 signaling pathway) that collectively drive this dysregulation. Critically, we identified downregulated von Willebrand factor (VWF) and cell division control protein 42 (CDC42) as a robust biomarker signature, as evidenced by correlation coefficients (r) of 0.91 and 0.90 with complement and coagulation cascades, respectively. Leveraging these biomarkers, we developed a highly accurate health risk scoring model. This study provides the first comprehensive molecular portrait of VOCs-induced hematological disturbances and presents a novel proteomics-driven framework for the early prediction and intervention of VOCs-related health effects.