College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China.
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2023 Nov;42(11):2490-2500. doi: 10.1002/etc.5732. Epub 2023 Sep 20.
As a novel alternative to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), hexafluoropropylene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) has been widely used and has caused ubiquitous water pollution. However, its adverse effects on aquatic organisms are still not well known. In the present study, zebrafish at different life stages were exposed to 0, 5, 50, and 100 μg/L of HFPO-TA for 21 days to investigate reproductive toxicity in zebrafish. The results showed that HFPO-TA exposure significantly inhibited growth and induced reproductive toxicity in zebrafish, including a decrease of the condition factor, gonadosomatic index, and the average number of eggs. Histological section observation revealed that percentages of mature oocytes and spermatozoa were reduced, while those of primary oocytes and spermatocytes increased. In addition, exposure to HFPO-TA at three stages induced a significant decrease in the hatching rate, while the heart rate and normal growth rate of F1 offspring were only significantly inhibited for the exposure from fertilization to 21 days postfertilization (dpf). Compared with the exposure from 42 to 63 dpf, the reproductive toxicity induced by HFPO-TA was more significant for the exposure from fertilization to 21 dpf and from 21 to 42 dpf. Expression of the genes for cytochrome P450 A1A, vitellogenin 1, estrogen receptor alpha, and estrogen receptor 2b was significantly up-regulated in most cases after exposure to HFPO-TA, suggesting that HFPO-TA exhibited an estrogen effect similar to PFOA. Therefore, HFPO-TA might disturb the balance of sex steroid hormones and consequently induce reproductive toxicity in zebrafish. Taken together, the results demonstrate that exposure to HFPO-TA at different life stages could induce reproductive toxicity in zebrafish. However, the underlying mechanisms deserve further investigation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2490-2500. © 2023 SETAC.
作为全氟辛酸（PFOA）的一种新型替代品，六氟环氧丙烷三氟乙氧基（HFPO-TA）已被广泛使用，并造成了普遍的水污染。然而，其对水生生物的不良影响仍不为人知。本研究中，将不同发育阶段的斑马鱼暴露于 0、5、50 和 100μg/L 的 HFPO-TA 中 21 天，以研究 HFPO-TA 对斑马鱼的生殖毒性。结果表明，HFPO-TA 暴露显著抑制了斑马鱼的生长并诱导了生殖毒性，包括体况系数、性腺指数和平均产卵数的降低。组织学切片观察发现，成熟卵母细胞和精子的比例降低，而初级卵母细胞和精母细胞的比例增加。此外，HFPO-TA 在三个阶段的暴露均显著降低了孵化率，而 F1 后代的心率和正常生长率仅在从受精到受精后 21 天（dpf）的暴露中受到显著抑制。与从 42 至 63 dpf 的暴露相比，HFPO-TA 从受精到 21 dpf 和从 21 至 42 dpf 的暴露引起的生殖毒性更为显著。在大多数情况下，暴露于 HFPO-TA 后，细胞色素 P450 A1A、卵黄蛋白原 1、雌激素受体α和雌激素受体 2b 的基因表达均显著上调，表明 HFPO-TA 表现出与 PFOA 相似的雌激素效应。因此，HFPO-TA 可能会扰乱性激素的平衡，从而导致斑马鱼生殖毒性。总之，研究结果表明，在不同发育阶段暴露于 HFPO-TA 可诱导斑马鱼生殖毒性。然而，其潜在机制值得进一步研究。环境毒理化学 2023；42：2490-2500。© 2023 SETAC。
