Study of the molecular mechanism of low-dose PFOS exposure-induced testicular steroidogenesis disturbance
CHEN Hai-bin1, HUA Wei-zhen2,3, HUANG Qing-yu2
1. Xiamen Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xiamen 361012, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; 3. Department of Health Inspection and Quarantine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
Abstract：Proteomic technique was employed to analyze the differential expression profile of rat testicular proteome after exposure to 0.015, 0.15 and 1.5mg/kg of PFOS for two months. The results showed that the progesterone and testosterone levels in rat serum were significantly increased, and the expressions of 56 proteins in testis tissue were significantly altered after PFOS exposure. Among them, 10 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were closely related to fatty acid metabolism and testicular steroidogenesis (9proteins were up-regulated and 1was down-regulated). In addition, most fatty acid metabolism-related DEPs were statistically and biologically correlated with steroidogenesis-related DEPs. These results indicate that low-dose PFOS can accelerate fatty acid metabolism and steroidogenic process in rat testis, ultimately stimulating the synthesis of steroid hormones, progesterone and testosterone. This study can provide new clues to the toxicological mechanism of testicular steroidogenesis disturbance induced by low-dose PFOS exposure, and implicate the male reproductive health risk of humans environmentally exposed to PFOS.
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