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Oral exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid disrupts the microbiota-gut-liver axis and enhances the severity of chemically induced colitis in mice
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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2026 (English)In: Environmental Pollution, ISSN 0269-7491, E-ISSN 1873-6424, Vol. 409, article id 128915Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect millions of patients worldwide and impair quality of life. Although genetic and environmental factors are known to disrupt the gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial barrier and increase susceptibility to IBD, the precise contribution of specific environmental exposures remains unclear. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," are widely used in consumer products and contaminate food and water sources, resulting in chronic oral exposure worldwide. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a common PFAS, has been epidemiologically associated with the development of IBD, particularly in older adults. Here, we assessed the effects of oral PFOA exposure on the GI tract, liver, and susceptibility to colitis. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to PFOA (0.1 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg) beginning at weaning (post-natal day [P]21) for a time course of 4 or 8 weeks. GI physiology/pathology (Ussing chambers; histology), expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (qPCR), microbiota composition (16S sequencing), bile acids production (qPCR; LC/MS), and liver pathology (histology) were assessed. Colitis susceptibility was evaluated in genetically predisposed (IL10 knockout) mice, and in induced (dextran sodium sulfate [DSS]) mouse models following PFOA exposure (8 weeks at 1.0 mg/kg). Oral PFOA exposure increased intestinal permeability, mildly increased cytokine expression, altered gut microbiota composition, disrupted liver and serum bile acids, and caused hepatic hypertrophy in the high dose and longer exposure. Although PFOA did not increase disease susceptibility in genetically predisposed Il10 KO mice, it significantly worsened DSS-induced colitis, but only in male mice. Together, these findings demonstrate that early-life PFOA exposure disrupts the gut-liver axis and may contribute to colitis development in a sex dependent manner.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2026. Vol. 409, article id 128915
Keywords [en]
bile acids, colitis, enterohepatic, inflammation, perfluorooctanoic acid
National Category
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Occupational Health and Environmental Health
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URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-130528DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128915ISI: 001857724500001PubMedID: 42562299OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-130528DiVA, id: diva2:2090937
Available from: 2026-08-10 Created: 2026-08-10 Last updated: 2026-09-04Bibliographically approved

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