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Perfluorononanoic acid in combination with 14 chemicals exerts low-dose mixture effects in rats

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Abstract

Humans are simultaneously exposed to several chemicals that act jointly to induce mixture effects. At doses close to or higher than no-observed adverse effect levels, chemicals usually act additively in experimental studies. However, we are lacking knowledge on the importance of exposure to complex real-world mixtures at more relevant human exposure levels. We hypothesised that adverse mixture effects occur at doses approaching high-end human exposure levels. A mixture (Mix) of 14 chemicals at a combined dose of 2.5 mg/kg bw/day was tested in combination with perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) at doses of 0.0125 (Low PFNA), 0.25 (Mid PFNA) and 5 (High PFNA) mg/kg bw/day by oral administration for 14 days in juvenile male rats. Indication of a toxicokinetic interaction was found, as simultaneous exposure to PFNA and the Mix caused a 2.8-fold increase in plasma PFNA concentrations at Low PFNA. An increase in testosterone and dihydrotestosterone plasma concentrations was observed for Low PFNA + Mix. This effect was considered non-monotonic, as higher doses did not cause this effect. Reduced LH plasma concentrations together with increased androgen concentrations indicate a disturbed pituitary-testis axis caused by the 15-chemical mixture. Low PFNA by itself increased the corticosterone plasma concentration, an effect which was normalised after simultaneous exposure to Mix. This combined with affected ACTH plasma concentrations and down-regulation of 11β HSD mRNA in livers indicates a disturbed pituitary-adrenal axis. In conclusion, our data suggest that mixtures of environmental chemicals at doses approaching high-end human exposure levels can cause a hormonal imbalance and disturb steroid hormones and their regulation. These effects may be non-monotonic and were observed at low doses. Whether this reflects a more general phenomenon that should be taken into consideration when predicting human mixture effects or represents a rarer phenomenon remains to be shown.

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Acknowledgments

Excellent technical assistance was provided by Anne Ørngreen, Maja Danielsen, Eva Ferdinansen, Elise E. Navntoft, Eigil V. Frank, Kenneth R. Worm, Kitt Lademann, Lis Abildgaard Andersen, Birgitte Møller Plesning, Liljana Petrevska, Heidi Letting and Dorte Lykkegaard Korsbech. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration are acknowledged for their financial support.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, 2860, Søborg, Denmark

    Niels Hadrup, Niels Lund Hansen, Line Olrik Berthelsen, Kristine Kongsbak, Julie Boberg, Marianne Dybdahl, Ulla Hass & Anne Marie Vinggaard

  2. Division of Food Chemistry, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søborg, Denmark

    Mikael Pedersen, Kasper Skov & Henrik Frandsen

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  1. Niels Hadrup
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  2. Mikael Pedersen
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Correspondence to Anne Marie Vinggaard.

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Hadrup, N., Pedersen, M., Skov, K. et al. Perfluorononanoic acid in combination with 14 chemicals exerts low-dose mixture effects in rats. Arch Toxicol 90, 661–675 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-015-1452-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-015-1452-6

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