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Toxicokinetics of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Citation:
Consoer, D., A. Hoffman, P. Fitzsimmons, Pat Kosian, AND J. Nichols. Toxicokinetics of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in rainbow trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 156:65-73, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely used as stain resistant coatings for cloth, paper, and leather, and as surfactants, fire-fighting foams, and photographic developers. Individual PFAAs have been shown to accumulate in fish and wildlife; however, the extent of this accumulation varies widely. In general, the tendency of individual PFAAs to accumulate in fish is directly related to the length of a compound’s fluorinated carbon chain as well as the identity of the terminal group (sulfonate or carboxylate) which confers to the molecule its amphipathic character. Presently, however the mechanisms that underly these observations remain poorly understood. In the present study we investigated the kinetics of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in rainbow trout. PFOA is not accumulated by fish. We also know that it is eliminated by mammals in urine. Our hypothesis, therefore, was that renal elimination of PFOA limits its accumulation in fish. Trout injected with an intra-arterial dose of PFOA were sampled to obtain concentration time-course data for plasma, urine, and expired water. The data were then analyzed by compartmental modeling to estimate rates of renal and branchial clearance. Averaged across all animals, the renal clearance rate was about ten times higher than the branchial clearance rate, confirming our hypothesis. The results of this effort provide a clear explanation for the observed absence of PFOA accumulation in fish. Moreover, these results suggest that renal handling of individual PFAAs may substantially determine their rate of accumulation in fish and by extension their relative propensity to accumulate. This information greatly increases our knowledge of this important class of environmental contaminants and provides basic information that could be used to develop predictive models of PFAA accumulation in fish.
Description:
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely used as stain resistant coatings for cloth, paper, and leather, and as surfactants, fire-fighting foams, and photographic developers. Individual PFAAs have been shown to accumulate in fish and wildlife; however, the extent of this accumulation varies widely. In general, the tendency of individual PFAAs to accumulate in fish is directly related to the length of a compound’s fluorinated carbon chain as well as the identity of the terminal group (sulfonate or carboxylate) which confers to the molecule its amphipathic character. Presently, however the mechanisms that underly these observations remain poorly understood. In the present study we investigated the kinetics of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in rainbow trout. PFOA is not accumulated by fish. We also know that it is eliminated by mammals in urine. Our hypothesis, therefore, was that renal elimination of PFOA limits its accumulation in fish. Trout injected with an intra-arterial dose of PFOA were sampled to obtain concentration time-course data for plasma, urine, and expired water. The data were then analyzed by compartmental modeling to estimate rates of renal and branchial clearance. Averaged across all animals, the renal clearance rate was about ten times higher than the branchial clearance rate, confirming our hypothesis. The results of this effort provide a clear explanation for the observed absence of PFOA accumulation in fish. Moreover, these results suggest that renal handling of individual PFAAs may substantially determine their rate of accumulation in fish and by extension their relative propensity to accumulate. This information greatly increases our knowledge of this important class of environmental contaminants and provides basic information that could be used to develop predictive models of PFAA accumulation in fish.
