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Exposure to perfluorinated compounds: in vitro study on thyroid cells

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Abstract

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are widely used perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Previous studies detected PFOA and PFOS in human tissues including the thyroid gland. There are no studies on the in vitro effects of PFOA and PFOS on thyroid cells. Our study was aimed at evaluating the effect of the in vitro exposure to PFOA and PFOS on thyroid cell proliferation and viability. These objectives were investigated using Fisher rat thyroid line-5 (FRTL-5) cells. FRTL-5 cells cultured in the presence of PFOA and PFOS at concentrations up to 104 nM do not display changes in their viability and proliferation rate, while at a concentration of 105 nM of either PFCs, a significant inhibition of cell proliferation, mainly due to increased cell death, was found. PFOA and PFOS were detected in FRTL-5 cell pellets after 72 h of incubation with PFCs but not in control cultures. When FRTL-5 were incubated with PFCs then washed in PBS and re-cultured for 72 h without PFCs in the medium, no detectable concentrations of PFOA and PFOS were measured in the cell pellet. This indicates that PFOA and PFOS enter thyroid cells by a gradient-based passive diffusion mechanism. Future studies are required to evaluate the potential toxic effect resulting from prolonged in vivo exposure to even lower concentrations of PFCs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri I.R.C.C.S., Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors and Chair of Endocrinology University of Pavia, Via S. Maugeri 10, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Francesca Coperchini, Serena Lacerenza, Riccardo Sideri, Luca de Martinis, Flavia Magri, Mario Rotondi & Luca Chiovato

  2. Unit of Allergy and Immunology Unit, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri I.R.C.C.S., Pavia, Italy

    Patrizia Pignatti & Claudia Testoni

  3. Environmental Research Center, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri I.R.C.C.S., Pavia, Italy

    Sara Negri & Danilo Cottica

  4. Environmental and Occupational Medicine Unit, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, Pavia, Italy

    Marcello Imbriani

Authors
  1. Francesca Coperchini
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  2. Patrizia Pignatti
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  3. Serena Lacerenza
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  4. Sara Negri
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  5. Riccardo Sideri
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  6. Claudia Testoni
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  7. Luca de Martinis
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  8. Danilo Cottica
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  9. Flavia Magri
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  10. Marcello Imbriani
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  11. Mario Rotondi
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  12. Luca Chiovato
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Correspondence to Luca Chiovato.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Coperchini, F., Pignatti, P., Lacerenza, S. et al. Exposure to perfluorinated compounds: in vitro study on thyroid cells. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 2287–2294 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3480-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3480-9

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