Perfluorooctanoic acid induces liver and serum dyslipidemia in humanized PPARα mice fed an American diet

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive in the environment resulting in nearly universal detection in people. Human serum PFAS concentrations are strongly associated with increased serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and growing evidence suggests an association with serum triacylglycerides (TG). Here, we tested the hypothesis that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) dysregulates liver and serum triacylglycerides in human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (hPPAR alpha)-expressing mice fed an American diet. Mice were exposed to PFOA (3.5 mg/L) in drinking water for 6 weeks resulting in a serum concentration of 48 +/- 9 mu g/ml. In male and female hPPAR alpha mice, PFOA increased total liver TG and TG substituted with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Lack of expression of PPAR alpha alone also increased total liver TG, and PFOA treatment had little effect on liver TG in PPAR alpha null mice. In hPPAR alpha mice, PFOA neither significantly increased nor decreased serum TG; however, there was a modest increase in TG associated with very low-density cholesterol particles in both sexes. Intriguingly, in female PPAR alpha null mice, PFOA significantly increased serum TG, with a similar trend in males. PFOA also modified fatty acid and TG homeostasis-related gene expression in liver, in a hPPAR alpha-dependent manner, but not in adipose. The results of our study and others reveal the importance of context (serum concentration and genotype) in determining the effect of PFOA on lipid homeostasis.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can affect lipid homeostasis in the human body, particularly related to serum triacylglycerides and liver lipids. The impact of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on lipid homeostasis depends on specific genotypes, especially in relation to peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (hPPAR alpha).