Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Investigating Long-Distance Transport of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Wheat via a Split-Root Exposure Technique
Published on: September 28, 2022
Molecular mechanisms of PFOA-induced toxicity in animals and humans: Implications for health risks
Kan Li1, Peng Gao2, Ping Xiang1
1State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Jiangsu 210046, China.
Abstract:
As an emerging persistent organic pollutant (POP), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) is one of the most abundant perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the environment. This review summarized the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of PFOA-induced toxicity in animals and humans as well as their implications for health risks in humans. Traditional PFOA-induced signal pathways such as peroxisome proliferating receptor alpha (PPARα), constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), and pregnane-X receptor (PXR) may not be important for PFOA-induced health effects on humans. Instead, pathways including p53/mitochondrial pathway, nuclear lipid hyperaccumulation, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-serine/threonine protein kinase (PI3K-AKT), and tumor necrosis factor-α/nuclear factor κB (TNF-α/NF-κB) may play an important role for PFOA-induced health risks in humans. Both in vivo and in vitro studies are needed to better understand the PFOA-induced toxicity mechanisms as well as the associated health risk in humans.
More Related Videos
09:04Identifying Per- and Polyfluorinated Chemical Species with a Combined Targeted and Non-Targeted-Screening High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Workflow
Published on: April 18, 2019
11:00Using Chicken Embryo as a Powerful Tool in Assessment of Developmental Cardiotoxicities
Published on: March 21, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Toxicity Testing in Animals
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Bioactivation and Tissue Toxicity