Neurotoxic effects of perfluoroalkyl acids: Neurobehavioral deficit and its molecular mechanism.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), as a group of industrial chemicals, are characterized by persistence, long-distance transmission, bioaccumulation and toxicity, and have been recognized as persistent organic pollutants. However, PFAAs and their related products have been used daily and in industrially products over the past several decades, which resulting in ubiquitous presence in various environmental medias, biota and even in human body. Numerous studies have investigated the neurobehavioral deficit and molecular mechanism underlying those effects of PFAAs in the last decades. In the present review, we summarized the neurotoxic effects of some PFAAs, especially perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The potential molecular mechanism for PFAAs-induced neurotoxicity are mainly described in the following aspects: calcium homeostasis and its related signal pathway, synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitters, as well as the neural cells apoptosis. By concluding the current evidences, we hope to provide a further prospective to assess the association of environmental PFAAs exposure and neurotoxiology outcomes.