| 1. |
- Cao, Huiming, et al.
(author)
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Effect of Enterohepatic Circulation on the Accumulation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances : Evidence from Experimental and Computational Studies
- 2022
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 56:5, s. 3214-3224
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The pharmacokinetic characteristics of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) affect their distribution and bioaccumulation in biological systems. The enterohepatic circulation leads to reabsorption of certain chemicals from bile back into blood and the liver and thus influences their elimination, yet its influence on PFAS bioaccumulation remains unclear. We explored the role of enterohepatic circulation in PFAS bioaccumulation by examining tissue distribution of various PFAS in wild fish and a rat model. Computational models were used to determine the reabsorbed fractions of PFAS by calculating binding affinities of PFAS for key transporter proteins of enterohepatic circulation. The results indicated that higher concentrations were observed in blood, the liver, and bile compared to other tissues for some PFAS in fish. Furthermore, exposure to a PFAS mixture on the rat model showed that the reabsorption phenomenon appeared during 8-12 h for most long-chain PFAS. Molecular docking calculations suggest that PFAS can bind to key transporter proteins via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Further regression analysis adds support to the hypothesis that binding affinity of the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter is the most important variable to predict the human half-lives of PFAS. This study demonstrated the critical role of enterohepatic circulation in reabsorption, distribution, and accumulation of PFAS.
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| 2. |
- Cao, Huiming, et al.
(author)
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Screening of Potential PFOS Alternatives To Decrease Liver Bioaccumulation : Experimental and Computational Approaches
- 2019
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 53:5, s. 2811-2819
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant with significant bioaccumulation potential in liver tissues. Exposure to PFOS could cause increase of liver weight, induce adenomas of the liver, and cause hepatomegaly. Alternatives of PFOS might be designed and synthesized that have significantly lower liver bioaccumulation. In this study, we conducted animal exposure experiments to investigate tissue accumulations of 14 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Correlation analysis demonstrated that accumulation of the compounds in rat liver had strong correlations with their binding affinities of liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP). Thus, we combined a quantitative structure-activity relationship model with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to develop computational models to predict the LFABP binding affinities of two newly synthesized alternatives, perfluorodecalin-2-sulfonic acid and N-diperfluorobutanoic acid. The binding characteristics of the PFOS alternatives for LFABP were elaborated to explore how the different structural modifications of molecules influenced the underlying binding mechanisms. Subsequent animal experiments demonstrated that the binding free energy calculations based on the MD simulations provided a good indicator to reflect the relative degree of liver accumulation of the PFOS alternatives in the same exposure doses and durations. Our findings from the combination of experimental exposure and computational model can provide helpful information to design potential alternatives of PFOS with weak LFABP binding capability and low liver accumulation.
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| 3. |
- Gao, Yan, et al.
(author)
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Differential accumulation and elimination behavior of perfluoroalkyl acid isomers in occupational workers in a manufactory in China
- 2015
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 49:11, s. 6953-6962
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, serum and urine samples were collected from 36 occupational workers in a fluorochemical manufacturing plant in China from 2008 to 2012 to evaluate the body burden and possible elimination of linear and branched perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Indoor dust, total suspended particles (TSP), diet, and drinking water samples were also collected to trace the occupational exposure pathway to PFAA isomers. The geometric mean concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) isomers in the serum were 1386, 371, and 863 ng mL(-1), respectively. The linear isomer of PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS was the most predominant PFAA in the serum, with mean proportions of 63.3, 91.1, and 92.7% respectively, which were higher than the proportions in urine. The most important exposure routes to PFAA isomers in the occupational workers were considered to be the intake of indoor dust and TSP. A renal clearance estimation indicated that branched PFAA isomers had a higher renal clearance rate than did the corresponding linear isomers. Molecular docking modeling implied that linear PFOS (n-PFOS) had a stronger interaction with human serum albumin (HSA) than branched isomers did, which could decrease the proportion of n-PFOS in the blood of humans via the transport of HSA.
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| 4. |
- Wang, Ling, et al.
(author)
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Perfluorooctanesulfonate Induces Hepatomegaly and Lipoatrophy in Mice through Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase-Mediated Glyceroneogenesis Inhibition
- 2020
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In: Environmental Science and Technology Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2328-8930. ; 7:3, s. 185-190
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Perfluorooctansulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant that has attracted a great deal of attention due to toxic effects such as its lipid metabolism-disrupting potential. Exposure to PFOS can cause hepatomegaly and lipoatrophy in mice, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Considering that glyceroneogenesis is the essential pathway for balancing the triglyceride (TG) cycle between liver and white adipose tissue (WAT), we speculate that PFOS acts via glyceroneogenesis inhibition to alter TG metabolism in the two tissues. Combining gene expression, protein expression, an enzyme activity assay, and molecular docking analysis, we report here that PFOS can interact with cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), the rate-limiting enzyme of glyceroneogenesis. Specifically, by repression of PEPCK, PFOS can inhibit the glyceroneogenesis process and thus decrease the glyceroneogenesis-derived glycerol level, leading to a reduced re-esterified TG level and causing atrophy in WAT. Moreover, in PFOS-exposed liver tissue, despite the fact that free glycerol and fatty acids released from WAT were being used for TG synthesis, the export of TG slowed. This eventually resulted in the continuous lipolysis of WAT and accumulation of lipid in the liver. PEPCK can be used as a key biomarker to assess the lipid metabolism disorders induced by other conventional and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
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