Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) disturbs fatty acid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans: Evidence from chemical analysis and molecular mechanism exploration

Cuiyun Wei; Zhen Zhou; Ling Wang; Zichun Huang; Yong Liang; Jie Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130359

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) disturbs fatty acid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans: Evidence from chemical analysis and molecular mechanism exploration

Chemosphere. 2021 Aug:277:130359. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130359. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Authors

Cuiyun Wei¹, Zhen Zhou², Ling Wang³, Zichun Huang³, Yong Liang⁴, Jie Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China.
² Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Chemical Materials and Devices, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China; Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
³ Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China.
⁴ Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances, Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China. Electronic address: ly76@263.net.
⁵ College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.

PMID: 34384190
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130359

Abstract

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant that might induce disorders in fatty acid (FA) metabolism, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism can synthesize polyunsaturated FAs de novo via the polyunsaturated FA synthesis pathway. In this study, synchronized L1 C. elegans were exposed to 0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 μM PFOS for 72 h. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to establish a sensitive and reliable analysis method for PFASs in exposed nematode, the instrument detection limits of nine fatty acid methyl esters examined ranged between 1.11 and 27.6 ng/mL, with satisfactory reproducibility (RSD < 10%) observed. Methyl pentadecanoate (C15:0) was used as an internal standard, the linearity of the calibration (0.1-10 μg/mL) nine FAs from the nematode were quantitatively analyzed. Comparing with the control group, PFOS exposure caused significantly decreased levels of C18:0 while significantly increased levels of C18:3n6. A decrease in the C18:3n6: C18:2n6 ratio was observed. Consistently, expression of the FA desaturation gene fat-3 was significantly down-regulated. These ﬁndings suggest that the FA disorder is associated with decrease in mRNA expression of Δ6-desaturase genes in C. elegans. Simultaneously, the disorders in FA metabolism were found to disrupt mitochondrial function with a reduction in ATP synthesis, as determined by the luciferase method. In summary, the results of the study provide insights into the adverse effects of PFOS on FA metabolism in living organisms.

Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; Fatty acid; Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Perfluorooctane sulfonate.

MeSH terms

Alkanesulfonic Acids* / toxicity
Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
Fatty Acids
Fluorocarbons* / toxicity
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Reproducibility of Results

Substances

Alkanesulfonic Acids
Fatty Acids
Fluorocarbons
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid