Superfund Research Program

May 2022

Hot Publication

Human exposure to PFAS may affect biological pathways associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to SRP-funded research at Boston University.

PFAS are chemicals used in firefighting foams and in everyday products designed to repel stains, grease, and water. Humans are exposed to these substances mainly through diet and contaminated water. Exposure to PFAS has been associated with many negative health outcomes, including a possible link to NAFLD.

Researchers explored whether a causal relationship existed between PFAS exposure and specific NAFLD-related metabolic processes. They measured PFAS in the liver and blood of 105 individuals with NAFLD and observed that PFAS concentrations were associated with disturbances in certain metabolic pathways in the liver, such as lipid and bile acid metabolism. According to the authors, previous research has also documented changes to those pathways in patients with NAFLD.

The team then compared the results to mice exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most widely detected PFAS in humans. They observed that PFOA caused changes in mice that were similar to those found in humans. The findings suggest that PFAS exposure may increase the likelihood and severity of NAFLD by altering important metabolic pathways, say the researchers.

According to the authors, females may be more sensitive to the effects of PFAS, as the association between liver metabolism and PFAS exposure was stronger in females than males, even at lower exposure levels.

To learn more, please refer to the following sources:

  • Sen P, Qadri S, Luukkonen PK, Ragnarsdottir O, McGlinchey A, Jantti S, Juuti A, Arola J, Schlezinger JJ, Webster TF, Oresic M, Yki-Jarvinen H, Hyotylainen T. 2022. Exposure to environmental contaminants is associated with altered hepatic lipid metabolism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol 76(2):doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2021.09.039 PMID:34627976