Effects of perfluorobutane sulfonate and perfluorooctane sulfonate on lipid homeostasis in mouse liver

Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), an alternative to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), has been increasingly used in recent years. However, emerging evidence has raised concerns about the potential health risks of PFBS. Here, the toxicityof low-dose PFBS on livers was explored and compared with that of PFOS. Adult C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 10 mu g/L, 500 mu g/L PFBS, or 500 mu g/L PFOS for 28 days through drinking water. At the phenotypic level, no liver damage was observed in the 10 mu g/L PFBS group. The cell apoptosis and decrease of CAT activities were observed in the 500 mu g/L PFBS group, while accumulation of lipid droplets, increase of CAT activities and TAG levels were found in the 500 mu g/L PFOS group. Lipidomics analysis revealed that 138, 238, and 310 lipids were significantly changed in the 10 mu g/L, 500 mu g/L PFBS and 500 mu g/L PFOS groups, respectively. The two PFBS-treated groups induced similar global lipid changes in a dose-dependent manner, which were distinct from PFOS. Overall, PFBS exposure induced an increase in phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins, but a decrease in phosphatidylinositol. PFOS exposure caused an increase in triacylglycerols. This study provides more evidence on the health hazards caused by exposure to low-dose PFBS.