Effects of perfluoro fatty acids on peroxisome proliferation and mitochondrial size in mouse liver: dose and time factors and effect of chain length

Abstract

1. Male mice were fed a diet containing perfluoro fatty acids of varying chain length (i.e. perfluoroacetic, -butyric, -octanoic and -decanoic acids) at different doses (0–02 or 0–1% w/w of diet) for different periods of time (2–10 days), and effects on liver weight, hepatic mitochondrial protein and hepatic peroxisomal palmitoyl-CoA oxidation, lauroyl-CoA oxidase and catalase were monitored.

2. The greatest effects were obtained with perfluoro-octanoic and perfluoro decanoic acids, while perfluoro acetic acid was inactive. The effects with 0–02% w/w of diet perfluorooctanoic acid were at least as great as those observed with 0–1%. A more detailed dose-response investigation focused on perfluoro-octanoic acid revealed that maximal effects with this substance could be obtained with a dietary dose of 0–01% for 10 days and that significant changes were also observed with 0–001%.

3. Maximal effects with 0–02% w/w of diet perfluoro-octanoic acid were attained after 6–10 days of feeding.

4. As with other peroxisome proliferators, perfluoro fatty acids increase mouse hepatic peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation more extensively than they increase catalase, thus increasing hepatic oxidative stress.

5. As with other peroxisome proliferators, perfluoro fatty acids increase mouse liver mitochondrial protein. This effect is due primarily to a redistribution of mitochondria from the nuclear to the mitochondrial fraction, caused by an apparent decrease in the mean size of hepatic mitochondria after treatment.