We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Lipid Metabolism in Experimental Animal Models: A Scoping Review on the Mechanisms Behind the Induced Hepatotoxicity
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined microplastic ingestion and gut retention in benthic marine invertebrates, measuring plastic particle loads across multiple species collected from contaminated sediments. The findings document wide variation in gut plastic retention among invertebrate taxa, with implications for trophic transfer efficiency in contaminated benthic food webs.
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic, persistent environmental pollutants detected in biological systems and increasingly recognized for their harmful effects on human health. The liver, being a central organ in the metabolism of xenobiotics, is profoundly affected by these compounds and is a main target of PFAS-induced toxicity. The purpose of the present Scoping Review is to investigate the multiple and complex mechanisms behind PFAS hepatotoxicity, taking into consideration evidence from preclinical in vivo models. Using electronic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), a total of 38 studies were found eligible to be extensively explored to gather information regarding PFAS toxicity toward hepatic lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, injury and inflammation. Moreover, the parental exposure of these chemicals on the offspring will be discussed as well. As illustrated in the proposed graphical abstract, PFAS exposure has been linked to the triggering of oxidative stress phenomena, mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatic inflammatory infiltrate with sex specific effects in rodents. The predominant effects manifest as the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the disruption of hepatic lipid metabolism, and the activation of several nuclear transcription factors involved in lipid regulation, with PPAR-α being the most prominent. Considering their strong bioaccumulative properties and persistence in both the environment and the human body, legacy and emerging PFAS should be regarded as potent toxicants with a distinctive role in the onset of metabolic diseases and as a pressing issue to be addressed within regulatory policies.
More Papers Like This
Metabolic and phenotypic changes induced by PFAS exposure in two human hepatocyte cell models
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed two human liver cell models to PFAS mixtures and found dose-dependent disruptions to lipid, steroid, amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism alongside mitochondrial damage, with female-derived HepaRG cells showing stronger metabolic responses, offering new mechanistic insight into PFAS-related liver toxicity.
Bisphenols exposure and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: from environmental trigger to molecular pathogenesis
AI summary Read the abstract
This review synthesizes epidemiological and mechanistic evidence linking bisphenol A and its substitutes (BPS, BPF) to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, showing that these plasticizer chemicals disrupt hepatic fat metabolism, impair insulin signaling, activate inflammatory pathways, and interact synergistically with high-fat diets and other plasticizers to drive liver disease progression.
Adipose tissue as target of environmental toxicants: focus on mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative inflammation in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how environmental toxicants, including micro and nanoplastics, target fat tissue and contribute to metabolic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. These pollutants disrupt mitochondria (the energy-producing parts of cells) and trigger a cycle of oxidative stress and inflammation that damages both fat tissue and the liver. The findings suggest that microplastic exposure could be one of several environmental factors contributing to the rising rates of metabolic disease worldwide.
Advancing the understanding of PFAS-induced reproductive toxicity in key model species
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the reproductive toxicity of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across key model organisms, finding that these persistent chemicals disrupt reproductive function in both humans and animals through multiple toxic mechanisms warranting heightened regulatory attention.
Occurrence and Toxicity Mechanisms of Perfluorononanoic Acid, Perfluorodecanoic Acid, and Perfluoroundecanoic Acid in Fish: A Review
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the environmental fate and toxicity of three long-chain PFAS compounds (PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA) in fish, finding through computational gene ontology analysis that these chemicals disrupt insulin signaling, immune pathways, and growth hormone systems, with longer-chain variants likely posing greater toxicity despite less study.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.