PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

Abstract

Due to their unique properties, perfluorinated substances (PFAS) are widely used in multiple industrial and commercial applications, but they are toxic for animals, humans included. This review presents some available data on the PFAS environmental distribution in the world, and in particular in Europe and in Veneto region of Italy, where it has become a serious problem for human health. The consumption of contaminated food and drinking water is considered one of the major source of exposure for humans. Worldwide epidemiological studies report the negative effects that PFAS have on human health, due to environmental pollution, including infertility, steroid hormone perturbation, thyroid, liver and kidney disorders and metabolic disfunctions. In vitro and in vivo researches correlated PFAS exposure to oxidative stress effects (in mammals as well as in other vertebrates of human interest), produced by a PFAS-induced increase of reactive oxygen species formation. The cellular antioxidant defense system is activated by PFAS, but it is only partially able to avoid the oxidative damage to biomolecules.

Perfluoroalkylated acids (PFAAs) accumulate in field-exposed snails (Cepaea sp.) and affect their oxidative status

“…was positively related to levels of POX, CAT, GPX and peroxiredoxins. These enzymes represent a first line of defense against reactive oxygen species (Bonato et al, 2020). Because we did not observe any relationship with MDA content, there was no increase in oxidative stress in the snails.…”

Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances activate UPR pathway, induce steatosis and fibrosis in liver cells

“…PFAS has been implicated to play a role in lipid/insulin dysregulation, liver disease, and cancer. 3,32,55 Hepatic steatosis is an early event in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) and both can progress to HCC. 56 Here we analyzed the effect of PFOA, HFBA, and PFTA on cell steatosis.…”