Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT3773

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include several thousand compounds with a carbon chain and charged functional groups such as sulfonate or carboxylate. They are present in the environment mainly due to their widespread use and applicability in a large number of industrial sectors and consumer products. Due to their harmful effects on human health, the production and use of many compounds from this group have been banned, but due to their high persistence in the environment, these compounds are still present and represent a global problem. Previous studies have shown the harmful effects of these chemicals on the immune, metabolic, endocrine and reproductive systems. Among the long-chain PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is certainly one of the most important representatives of this group of compounds beingn abundant in the serum of the human population. The aim of this work was to examine the influence of PFOA on the parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant protection in testicular tissue of Wistar rats. Groups M1 and m² were treated with doses that correspond to the lower (0.015 mg/kg b.w./day) and higher levels of exposure (0.15 mg/kg b.w./day) of the general population, respectively. Group M3 was treated with a dose that can be considered safe according to the literature (0.625 mg/kg b.w./day). PFOA solutions were prepared in a 0.5% solution of Tween-20 in deionized water. The experiment also included a control group that received a 0.5% solution of Tween-20 in deionized water. There were 6 animals in each group. After 28 days of exposure, the animals were sacrificed, testes tissue samples were collected, and IMA, MDA, SH groups, GSH, and SOD were determined by the spectrophotometric method. A statistically significant increase in MDA was observed in the m² group. Of the examined parameters of antioxidant protection, statistically significant decrease in the level of GSH compared to the control group was observed only in m² group. Probably, the decrease in GSH contributed to the increase in MDA in the m² group, as weakened antioxidant defense allows for greater lipid damage in cell membranes. The levels of SH groups and SOD were not significantly changed compared to the control. It has been shown that exposure to PFOA at doses that may reflect exposure in the general population can cause disturbances in the oxidative status of the testes, which can disrupt key hormonal pathways, leading to reproductive dysfunction and broader endocrine imbalances.