2021 - All PFASs tested affected the T4 binding to transthyretin (TTR)

There are more than 7 million PFAS and over 21 million fluorinated compounds listed in PubChem (2023).
Post Reply
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 5485
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:25 pm

2021 - All PFASs tested affected the T4 binding to transthyretin (TTR)

Post by admin »

For over 25 years, we have been trying to call attention to the fact that all PFASs - in fact, ALL organic and inorganic fluoride compounds - have the ability to disturb thyroid hormone metabolism in the human organism.

In a new study by Peter Behnisch and colleagues, the authors found that all PFASs here tested affected the T4 binding to TTR, an important plasma thyroid hormone transport protein.

Behnisch PA, Besselink H, Weber R, Willand W, Huang J, Brouwer A - "Developing potency factors for thyroid hormone disruption by PFASs using TTR-TRβ CALUX® bioassay and assessment of PFASs mixtures in technical products" Environ. Int. August 4, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106791
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... via%3Dihub

Abstract

Background

Over the last decade, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have become one of the most heavily investigated persistent organohalogen compound class of environmental concern. However, knowledge about their toxicology is still scarce, although PFASs as individual compounds and their industrial mixtures were shown to exert effects on the thyroid hormone system.

Methods

In vitro toxicity potency factors were established for thyroid hormone transport disruption potential using the novel TTR-TRβ CALUX® bioassay for major PFASs. We assessed technical PFASs mixtures, including aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) surfactants and chromium mist suppressants (CMS) applications with and without total oxidizable precursor (TOP) by TTR-TRβ CALUX® assay for their thyroid hormone transport disrupting potential.

Results

All PFASs listed in the German guideline for drinking water (German Environment Agency, 2017) affected the T4 binding to TTR, an important plasma thyroid hormone transport protein. For all tested PFASs, potency factors based on PC80 values relative to PFOA could be obtained and ranged between PFBA (0.0018) and PFOS (2.0). Applying in vitro potency factors obtained from the present in vitro TTR-TRβ CALUX® assay study and recently reported in vivo potency factors (Zeilmaker et al., 2018; Bil et al., 2021) on the above-mentioned German guideline for PFAS in drinking water, showed that the cumulative effect-based trigger values (in vivo and in vitro) are comparable (3.0 vs. 2.9 to 4.6 μg PFOA-EQ/l). Additionally, AFFF surfactants and CMS with and without TOP assay were tested. Highest activities were found in the older AFFF surfactants (2013/2014) due to higher PFOS/PFOA levels, which were already substituted with 6:2 FTS in 2019, resulting in much lower PFOA-EQ levels. As expected also the PFOA-EQ levels increased in the samples with TOP treatment compared to the original AFFF surfactants and CMS as confirmed here by biological and chemical PFOA-equivalents (PFOA-EQ) analysis.

Additionally, CMS (which have been used in the electroplating chromium industry since the 1950s) as well as PFOS-free, but not PFAS-free fume suppressants (such as Fumetrol® 21) have been tested in the TTR-TRβ CALUX® assay and showed much lower activity levels then the AFFFs, confirmed by the similar potency determination based on chemical PFASs analysis followed by transformation to PFOA-EQ for comparison. The potency factor of 6:2 FTS, which is the main substitute for PFOS in CMS, indicates that it is approximately 100-times less potent as a thyroid hormone disruptor as compared to PFOS.

Conclusion

Potency factors based on PC80 values from TTR-TRβ CALUX® relative to PFOA have been developed for major PFASs. In AFFF surfactants and CMS a trend of higher activities with higher amounts of PFOS and PFOA have been found. PFOA and PFOS showed high responses in the TTR-TRβ CALUX® assay and had the largest contributions to the PFOA-EQs in the AFFF surfactants and CMS applications. Using potency factors as determined in the TTR-TRβ CALUX® to convert PFASs assessed by chemical analysis to PFOA-EQ led to comparable results as compared to the results from PFASs measured directly by the TTR-TRβ CALUX® assay. This study supports the claim that semiquantitative effect- and group-based in vitro CALUX bioanalysis tools can be applied effectively to assess industrial products containing complex mixtures with PFAS compounds for which no instrumental analysis are established, and for many compounds where in vitro toxicity data are not yet available.
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 5485
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:25 pm

More on the varied thyroid dysfunction caused by PFAS

Post by admin »

Zhang S, Chen K, Li W, Chai Y, Zhu J, Chu B, Li N, Yan J, Zhang S, Yang Y - "Varied thyroid disrupting effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its novel alternatives hexafluoropropylene-oxide-dimer-acid (GenX) and ammonium 4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoate (ADONA) in vitro" Environ Int 156:106745 (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106745. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34246126.
"Gene expression data revealed that all three PFASs altered gene expression in both thyroid cells and the altered gene expression seemed to be PFAS and cell type dependent. Taken together, our data reveal that the thyroid disrupting effects is increased in the order of GenX > PFOA > ADONA. "
Post Reply