Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i>
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern to environmental regulators due to their widespread occurrence, persistence and reported toxicity. However, little data exist on the effects of PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations. The development of molecular markers for PFAS expo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Metabolites |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/12/11/1135 |
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| author | Georgia M. Sinclair Sara M. Long Navneet Singh Timothy L. Coggan Matthew P. J. Askeland Oliver A. H. Jones |
| author_facet | Georgia M. Sinclair Sara M. Long Navneet Singh Timothy L. Coggan Matthew P. J. Askeland Oliver A. H. Jones |
| author_sort | Georgia M. Sinclair |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern to environmental regulators due to their widespread occurrence, persistence and reported toxicity. However, little data exist on the effects of PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations. The development of molecular markers for PFAS exposure would therefore be useful to better understand the environmental risks of these compounds. In this study, we assessed if such markers could be developed using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-based metabolomics. We exposed the freshwater amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations of perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) and perfluorohexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS) for 7 days at five concentrations. A metabolic response was detected in all concentrations and treatments even though the survival rates only differed significantly at the highest exposure levels. The metabolic response differed between compounds but all three PFAS induced changes in the levels of amino acids, fatty acids, and cholesterol, in line with the literature. PFOS was found to bioaccumulate. Both GenX and PFHxS were eliminated from the amphipods, but PFHxS was eliminated at a slower rate than GenX. This information improves our understanding of the sublethal effects of PFAS as well as their environmental fate and behaviour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:09:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b3331b8a59bd4151992e8f519b10d9c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:09:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabolites |
| spelling | doaj.art-b3331b8a59bd4151992e8f519b10d9c02023-11-24T09:13:36ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892022-11-011211113510.3390/metabo12111135Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i>Georgia M. Sinclair0Sara M. Long1Navneet Singh2Timothy L. Coggan3Matthew P. J. Askeland4Oliver A. H. Jones5Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS), School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora West Campus, P.O. Box 71, Bundoora, VIC 3083, AustraliaAquatic Environmental Stress Research Group (AQUEST), School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora West Campus, P.O. Box 71, Bundoora, VIC 3083, AustraliaADE Consulting Group, Williamstown North, VIC 3016, AustraliaADE Consulting Group, Williamstown North, VIC 3016, AustraliaADE Consulting Group, Williamstown North, VIC 3016, AustraliaAustralian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS), School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora West Campus, P.O. Box 71, Bundoora, VIC 3083, AustraliaPer and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern to environmental regulators due to their widespread occurrence, persistence and reported toxicity. However, little data exist on the effects of PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations. The development of molecular markers for PFAS exposure would therefore be useful to better understand the environmental risks of these compounds. In this study, we assessed if such markers could be developed using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-based metabolomics. We exposed the freshwater amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations of perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) and perfluorohexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS) for 7 days at five concentrations. A metabolic response was detected in all concentrations and treatments even though the survival rates only differed significantly at the highest exposure levels. The metabolic response differed between compounds but all three PFAS induced changes in the levels of amino acids, fatty acids, and cholesterol, in line with the literature. PFOS was found to bioaccumulate. Both GenX and PFHxS were eliminated from the amphipods, but PFHxS was eliminated at a slower rate than GenX. This information improves our understanding of the sublethal effects of PFAS as well as their environmental fate and behaviour.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/12/11/1135bioconcentrationenvironmentmetabolomicsmonitoringregulationtoxicology |
| spellingShingle | Georgia M. Sinclair Sara M. Long Navneet Singh Timothy L. Coggan Matthew P. J. Askeland Oliver A. H. Jones Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> Metabolites bioconcentration environment metabolomics monitoring regulation toxicology |
| title | Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> |
| title_full | Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> |
| title_fullStr | Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> |
| title_short | Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Levels of PFAS Causes Metabolic Changes in the Freshwater Amphipod <i>Austrochiltonia subtenuis</i> |
| title_sort | exposure to environmentally relevant levels of pfas causes metabolic changes in the freshwater amphipod i austrochiltonia subtenuis i |
| topic | bioconcentration environment metabolomics monitoring regulation toxicology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/12/11/1135 |
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