Isomer-specific biotransformation of perfluorooctane sulfonamide in Sprague-Dawley rats

Great variability exists in perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) isomer patterns in human and wildlife samples, including unexpectedly high percentages (e.g., >40%) of branched isomers in human sera. Previous in vitro tests showed that branched PFOS-precursors were biotransformed faster than the corresponding linear isomer. Thus, high percentages of branched PFOS may be a biomarker of PFOS-precursor exposure in humans. We evaluated this hypothesis by examining the isomer-specific fate of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA), a known PFOS-precursor, in male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to commercial PFOSA via food for 77 days (83.0 ± 20.4 ng kg(-1) day(-1)), followed by 27 days of depuration. Elimination half-lives of the two major branched PFOSA isomers (2.5 ± 1.0 days and 3.7 ± 1.2 days) were quicker than for linear PFOSA (5.9 ± 4.6 days), resulting in a depletion of branched PFOSA isomers in blood and tissues relative to the dose. A corresponding increase in the total branched isomer content of PFOS, the ultimate metabolite, in rat serum was not observed. However, a significant enrichment of 5m-PFOS and a significant depletion of 1m-PFOS were observed, relative to authentic electrochemical PFOS. The data cannot be directly extrapolated to humans, due to known differences in the toxicokinetics of PFOS in rodents and humans. However, the results confirm that in vivo exposure to commercially relevant PFOS-precursors can result in a distinct PFOS isomer profile that may be useful as a biomarker of exposure source.