Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae
Studies comparing the ocular toxicity potential between legacy and alternative PFAS are lacking. To address this research gap, zebrafish larvae were exposed to both legacy PFAS (i.e., perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [PFOS] and perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]) and their corresponding alternatives (i.e., p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/12/1021 |
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| author | Han-seul Lee Soogyeong Jang Youngsub Eom Ki-Tae Kim |
| author_facet | Han-seul Lee Soogyeong Jang Youngsub Eom Ki-Tae Kim |
| author_sort | Han-seul Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Studies comparing the ocular toxicity potential between legacy and alternative PFAS are lacking. To address this research gap, zebrafish larvae were exposed to both legacy PFAS (i.e., perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [PFOS] and perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]) and their corresponding alternatives (i.e., perfluorobutanesulfonic acid [PFBS] and perfluorobutanoic acid [PFBA]). Alterations in their visual behaviors, such as phototactic and optomotor responses (OMR), were assessed at sublethal concentrations. Gene expression variations in visual function-associated pathways were also measured. Visual behavioral assessment revealed that PFOS exposure resulted in concentration-dependent reductions in phototactic responses at 10–1000 μg/L, with PFOA exerting reduction effects only at 100 mg/L. However, their two alternatives had no effect at all tested concentrations. Following an improved contrast-OMR (C-OMR) assessment, PFOS decreased the OMR to a water flow stimulus at 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L. The gene expression analysis revealed that PFOS exposure markedly downregulated most genes involved in the opsins in the photoreceptor and phototransduction cascade, which explains the observed visual behavior changes well. Our findings indicate that PFOS is the most likely PFAS to cause visual toxicity, with PFOA present but less likely, and their substitutes, PFBS and PFBA, cannot be classified as visually toxic to zebrafish. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:18:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0058abef4b7a4ea2b9c01a1865b0f7f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:18:41Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0058abef4b7a4ea2b9c01a1865b0f7f02023-12-22T14:46:10ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042023-12-011112102110.3390/toxics11121021Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish LarvaeHan-seul Lee0Soogyeong Jang1Youngsub Eom2Ki-Tae Kim3Department of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of KoreaZebrafish Translational Medical Research Center, Korea University, Ansan 15355, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Republic of KoreaStudies comparing the ocular toxicity potential between legacy and alternative PFAS are lacking. To address this research gap, zebrafish larvae were exposed to both legacy PFAS (i.e., perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [PFOS] and perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]) and their corresponding alternatives (i.e., perfluorobutanesulfonic acid [PFBS] and perfluorobutanoic acid [PFBA]). Alterations in their visual behaviors, such as phototactic and optomotor responses (OMR), were assessed at sublethal concentrations. Gene expression variations in visual function-associated pathways were also measured. Visual behavioral assessment revealed that PFOS exposure resulted in concentration-dependent reductions in phototactic responses at 10–1000 μg/L, with PFOA exerting reduction effects only at 100 mg/L. However, their two alternatives had no effect at all tested concentrations. Following an improved contrast-OMR (C-OMR) assessment, PFOS decreased the OMR to a water flow stimulus at 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L. The gene expression analysis revealed that PFOS exposure markedly downregulated most genes involved in the opsins in the photoreceptor and phototransduction cascade, which explains the observed visual behavior changes well. Our findings indicate that PFOS is the most likely PFAS to cause visual toxicity, with PFOA present but less likely, and their substitutes, PFBS and PFBA, cannot be classified as visually toxic to zebrafish.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/12/1021eye toxicityneurotoxicityPFOSPFOAPFBSPFBA |
| spellingShingle | Han-seul Lee Soogyeong Jang Youngsub Eom Ki-Tae Kim Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae Toxics eye toxicity neurotoxicity PFOS PFOA PFBS PFBA |
| title | Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae |
| title_full | Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae |
| title_fullStr | Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae |
| title_short | Comparing Ocular Toxicity of Legacy and Alternative Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish Larvae |
| title_sort | comparing ocular toxicity of legacy and alternative per and polyfluoroalkyl substances in zebrafish larvae |
| topic | eye toxicity neurotoxicity PFOS PFOA PFBS PFBA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/12/1021 |
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