Systemic and immunotoxicity induced by topical application of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) in a murine model

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Food Chem Toxicol
• Personal Author:
  Weatherly, Lisa M. ; Shane, Hillary L. ; Jackson, Laurel G. ; Lukomska, Ewa ; Baur, Rachel ; Cooper, Madison P. ; Anderson, Stacey E.
• Description:
  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of stable synthetic surfactants that are incorporated into numerous products for their water and oil resistance and have been associated with adverse health effects. The present study evaluated the systemic and immunotoxicity of sub-chronic 28- or 10-day dermal exposure of PFHxS (0.625-5% or 15.63-125 mg/kg/dose) in a murine model. Elevated levels of PFHxS were detected in the serum and urine, suggesting that absorption is occurring through the dermal route. Liver weight (% body) significantly increased and spleen weight (% body) significantly decreased with PFHxS exposure, which was supported by histopathological changes. Additionally, PFHxS significantly reduced the humoral immune response and altered immune subsets in the spleen, suggesting immunosuppression. Gene expression changes were observed in the liver, skin, and spleen with genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, necrosis, and inflammation. Immune-cell phenotyping identified significant decreases in B-cells, NK cells, and CD11b| monocyte/macrophages in the spleen along with increases in CD4| and CD8| T-cells, NK cells, and neutrophils in the skin. These findings support dermal PFHxS-induced liver damage and immune suppression. Overall, data support PFHxS absorption through the skin and demonstrate immunotoxicity via this exposure route, suggesting the need for further examination.
• Subjects:
  Alkanesulfonic Acids Animals CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes Disease Models, Animal Environmental Pollutants Fluorocarbons Mice Sulfonic Acids
• Keywords:
  Dermal Immune Immunosuppression Liver Damage Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS) Ppar Toxicity
• Source:
  Food Chem Toxicol. 186:114578
• Pubmed ID:
  38458531
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11406440
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  186
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:342c347266b2317f6bbdae41ad96e23a948b5ae6ceacede8668b037a4fa0e416fa5c59258e53c6edc912f4e7992bd1ae3011b306f7d1e2051c0a4406a1f83c18
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/162424/cdc_162424_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.26 MB ]