Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a micropollutant of emerging concern due to its ubiquitous occurrence and persistence in environment, ability to accumulate in living organisms, and its not completely known mechanism of toxicity and endocrine disruption activity. Adult common carp were exposed sub-chronically to an environmentally relevant concentration of PFOA (200 ng/l) and main target organs were examined. Comparisons were done with unexposed fish (control) and with high-PFOA exposed fish (2 mg/l). Subsequent effects of PFOA exposure were assessed through a multidisciplinary battery of analyses: Analytical chemistry - PFOA accumulation in carp tissues was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Solely in organs of fish exposed to 2 mg/l, PFOA concentrations were above the limit of detection with highest levels in blood and liver. Fish biometry - Carp condition factor, hepato-somatic index and gonado-somatic index didn’t differ significantly among fish of the three groups. Histopathology - No signs of histopathological changes occurred in liver of PFOA-exposed fish. Gonads of carp exposed to 200 ng/l PFOA were normal whilst those of carp exposed to 2 mg/l PFOA exhibited spermatogenesis perturbation and oocytes degeneration. Digital image technique - Texture analysis of liver section pictures effectively discriminated among carp of the three experimental groups and detected morphological differences not discernible with the traditional histology based on human sight. Molecular biology - In carp exposed to both PFOA concentrations, the expression levels of glutathione S-transferase genes in the liver and aromatase gene in the gonads were dysregulated (upregulated or downregulated). The results indicate that each method used and level of biological organization studied show a different sensitivity and confirm the need to integrate many endpoints and techniques to predict accurately the ecotoxicity profile of a chemical. Further analyses, currently in progress will expand our knowledge on risk due to PFOA exposure.
A multidisciplinary approach to assess the effects of perfluorooctanoic acid using carp as an experimental model.
Manera M.;
2018-01-01
Abstract
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a micropollutant of emerging concern due to its ubiquitous occurrence and persistence in environment, ability to accumulate in living organisms, and its not completely known mechanism of toxicity and endocrine disruption activity. Adult common carp were exposed sub-chronically to an environmentally relevant concentration of PFOA (200 ng/l) and main target organs were examined. Comparisons were done with unexposed fish (control) and with high-PFOA exposed fish (2 mg/l). Subsequent effects of PFOA exposure were assessed through a multidisciplinary battery of analyses: Analytical chemistry - PFOA accumulation in carp tissues was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Solely in organs of fish exposed to 2 mg/l, PFOA concentrations were above the limit of detection with highest levels in blood and liver. Fish biometry - Carp condition factor, hepato-somatic index and gonado-somatic index didn’t differ significantly among fish of the three groups. Histopathology - No signs of histopathological changes occurred in liver of PFOA-exposed fish. Gonads of carp exposed to 200 ng/l PFOA were normal whilst those of carp exposed to 2 mg/l PFOA exhibited spermatogenesis perturbation and oocytes degeneration. Digital image technique - Texture analysis of liver section pictures effectively discriminated among carp of the three experimental groups and detected morphological differences not discernible with the traditional histology based on human sight. Molecular biology - In carp exposed to both PFOA concentrations, the expression levels of glutathione S-transferase genes in the liver and aromatase gene in the gonads were dysregulated (upregulated or downregulated). The results indicate that each method used and level of biological organization studied show a different sensitivity and confirm the need to integrate many endpoints and techniques to predict accurately the ecotoxicity profile of a chemical. Further analyses, currently in progress will expand our knowledge on risk due to PFOA exposure.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
