Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) affects steroidogenesis and antioxidant defence in granulosa cells from swine ovary

Abstract

PFOA is mainly employed in products with water and oil repellent properties. Due to its persistence, bioaccumulation and critical effects on health, its use has been restricted in several countries. This research was intended to explore PFOA action on the main functions of swine ovarian granulosa cells, a valuable model for translational medicine. Moreover, since we previously demonstrated a disruptive effect on free radical generation we sought to explore PFOA effects on the main antioxidant enzymes. PFOA inhibited cell proliferation (p < 0.001), assessed by BrdU uptake. Steroidogenesis was disrupted: PFOA also stimulated 17β-estradiol production (p < 0.05), increased progesterone production (p < 0.05) at the lowest dose while it displayed an inhibitory effect at higher concentrations (p < 0.05). SOD (p < 0.001), catalase (p < 0.05) and peroxidase (p < 0.01) activities were stimulated. Therefore, our study supports a disruptive effect of PFOA in cultured swine granulosa cells.

Keywords: Antioxidant enzymes; Cell proliferation; Ovary; PFAS; Steroidogenesis.