Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid Induces Cognitive Deficits via Altering Gut Microbiota Composition, Impairing Intestinal Barrier Integrity, and Causing Inflammation in Gut and Brain
By Licai Shi, Jiaojiao Zheng, Shikai Yan, Yinxia Li, Yajie Wang, Xuebo Liu, and Chunxia Xiao
J Agric Food Chem
November 10, 2020
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c05834
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an eight-carbon perfluoroalkyl chemical and has been detected widely in many media. Although the toxic effect of PFOA has been confirmed, the influence on gut and brain has not been cleared. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, and 3 mg/Kg (bw)/day of PFOA for 35 days in this work. The results indicate that exposure to PFOA could damage intestinal barrier integrity and impair the synaptic structure. PFOA exposure also caused inflammation in gut and brain by increasing lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 beta, and cyclooxygenase-2 and decreasing interleukin-10. Interestingly, fecal microbiota transplantation treatment could attenuate a series of PFOA-induced changes to a certain extent. The results suggest that exposure to PFOA has potential deleterious effects on gut and brain, and inflammation may play an essential role in evaluating the influence induced by PFOA exposure.
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