Category-Based Toxicokinetic Evaluations of Data-Poor Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) using Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry

Concern over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has increased as more is learned about their environmental presence, persistence, and bioaccumulative potential. The limited monitoring, toxicokinetic (TK), and toxicologic data available are inadequate to inform risk across this diverse domain. Here, 73 PFAS were selected for in vitro TK evaluation to expand knowledge across lesser-studied PFAS alcohols, amides, and acrylates. Targeted methods developed using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) were used to measure human plasma protein binding and hepatocyte clearance. Forty-three PFAS were successfully evaluated in plasma, with fraction unbound (f(up)) values ranging from 0.004 to 1. With a median f(up) of 0.09 (i.e., 91% bound), these PFAS are highly bound but exhibit 10-fold lower binding than legacy perfluoroalkyl acids recently evaluated. Thirty PFAS evaluated in the hepatocyte clearance assay showed abiotic loss, with many exceeding 60% loss within 60 min. Metabolic clearance was noted for 11 of the 13 that were successfully evaluated, with rates up to 49.9 mu L/(min x million cells). The chemical transformation simulator revealed potential (bio)transformation products to consider. This effort provides critical information to evaluate PFAS for which volatility, metabolism, and other routes of transformation are likely to modulate their environmental fates.

Automated summary

Concerns about PFAS have risen due to increased knowledge about their presence, persistence, and potential to accumulate in the environment. This study evaluated the toxicokinetic properties of 73 PFAS, providing critical information about their binding, clearance, and potential transformation products. The results highlight the high binding capacity of these PFAS in plasma and their ability to undergo metabolism and abiotic loss. Understanding these factors is important for assessing the environmental fate of PFAS.