When subcellular chemical imaging enlightens our understanding on intestinal absorption, intracellular fate and toxicity of PFOA in vitro
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent organic pollutant that accumulates in the human body, leading to major health issues. Upon oral uptake, the gastrointestinal tract is the first biological barrier against PFOA. However, the localization of PFOA and its impact on the intestinal wall are largely unknown. Here we achieve a breakthrough in the knowledge of intestinal absorption, intracellular fate and toxicity of PFOA using in vitro assays combined with novel analytical imaging techniques. For the first time, we localized PFOA in the cytosol of Caco-2 cells after acute exposure using high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging, and we estimated the PFOA cytosolic concentration. Knowing that PFOA enters and accumulates in the intestinal cells, we also performed common toxicity assays assessing cell metabolic activity, membrane integrity, oxidative stress response, and cell respiration. This study integrating powerful analytical techniques with widely used toxicology assays provides insightful information to better understand potential negative impacts of PFOA and opens new opportunities in toxicology and life science in general.
Authors
- Arno C. Gutleb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9725-9112)
- Guillermo Alberto Gomez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0494-2404)
- Sébastien Cambier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7761-5212)
- Dirk Schaumlöffel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3495-9677)
- Maria Angels Subirana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8723-7665)
- Muriel Mercier‐Bonin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8398-2529)
- Denis Pittois
- Tom Wirtz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7912-5193)
- Charlotte Stoffels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6611-0841)
- Jens C. Schwamborn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4496-0559)
- Cédric Guignard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9925-5932)
- Jean‐Nicolas Audinot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4966-7653)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (FR)
- École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (FR)
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR)
- University of Luxembourg (LU)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux (FR)
- Toxicologie Alimentaire (FR)
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Hazardous Materials
- Published
- 2024-10-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136205
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.75
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg