Perfluorooctanoic Acid Affects Thyroid Follicles in Common Carp ( Cyprinus carpio )

Maurizio Manera, Giuseppe Castaldelli and Luisa Giari
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Maurizio Manera: Faculty of Biosciences, Food and Environmental Technologies, University of Teramo, St. R. Balzarini 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Giuseppe Castaldelli: Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, St. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Luisa Giari: Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, St. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Carp kidney is comprised of nephrons, hemopoietic tissue, and also hormonally-active thyroid follicles. Given this anatomical trait, it has been used to assess the thyroid disrupting potential of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a widespread and feared per- poly-fluoroalkyl substance and a persistent organic pollutant capable of interfering with the endocrine system in animals and humans. The occurrence and morphology of thyroid follicles in kidneys of carp experimentally exposed to 200 ng L −1 or 2 mg L −1 waterborne PFOA for 56 days were studied. The abundance of thyroid follicles was significantly higher and vesiculation increased in exposed fish as compared to controls. The number of vesiculated follicles/total number of follicles was positively correlated with PFOA blood concentration in fish exposed to the highest dose (2 mg L −1 ). The structure and ultrastructure of thyroid follicles were affected by PFOA also at the lower, environmentally relevant, concentration (200 ng L −1 ). Increased cellular projections, enhanced colloid endocytosis, rough endoplasmic reticulum enlargement and fragmentation and cytoplasm vacuolation were the main features displayed by PFOA-exposed carp. These results show that PFOA affects the occurrence and status of follicles and suggest the utility of fish kidney as a multipurpose biomarker organ in environmental pathology research, according to the One Health approach.

Keywords: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; persistent organic pollutants; endocrine disruptors; biomarker; fish model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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