Exposure to perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) accelerates insulitis development in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes

Publication date: Available online 29 August 2016 Source:Toxicology Reports Author(s): Johanna Bodin, Else-Carin Groeng, Monica Andreassen, Hubert Dirven, Unni Cecilie Nygaard Perfluoralkylated substances (PFAS) are classified as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances and are widespread environmental contaminants. Humans are exposed through food, drinking water and air. We have previously reported that bisphenol A accelerates spontaneous diabetes development in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice and observed in the present study that perfluoroundecanoic acid, PFUnDA, increased insulitis development, a prerequisite for diabetes development in NOD mice. We exposed NOD mice to PFUnDA in drinking water (3, 30 and 300μg/l) at mating, during gestation and lactation and until 30 weeks of age. After 300μg/l PFUnDA exposure, we report i) increased pancreatic insulitis, ii) increased number of apoptotic cells in pancreatic islets prior to insulitis and iii) decreased phagocytosis in peritoneal macrophages. There was also a trend of decreased number of tissue resident macrophages in pancreatic islets prior to insulitis after exposure to 300μg/l, and altered cytokine secretion in activated splenocytes after exposure to 3μg/l PFUnDA. Although insulitis is a prerequisite for autoimmune diabetes, the accelerated insulitis was not associated with accelerated diabetes development. Instead, the incidence of diabetes tended to be reduced in the animals exposed to 3 and 30μg/l P...
Source: Toxicology Reports - Category: Toxicology Source Type: research