Gene expression profiling in the liver and lung of perfluorooctane sulfonate-exposed mouse fetuses: Comparison to changes induced by exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are environmental contaminants found in the tissues of humans and wildlife. They are activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) and exhibit hepatocarcinogenic potential in rats. PFOS and PFOA are also developmental toxicants in rodents and PFOS has been shown to induce pulmonary deficits in rat offspring. Pregnant CD-1 mice were dosed with 0, 5, or 10 mg/kg PFOS from gestation days 1–17. Transcript profiling was conducted on the fetal liver and lung. Results were contrasted to data derived from a previous PFOA study. PFOS-dependent changes were primarily related to activation of PPARα. No remarkable differences were found between PFOS and PFOA. Given that PPARα signaling is required for neonatal mortality in PFOA-treated mice but not those exposed to PFOS, the neonatal mortality observed for PFOS may reflect functional deficits related to the physical properties of the chemical rather than to transcript alterations.