Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is widely used during the manufacturing of fluoropolymer coatings and polytetrafluoroethylene, is now a widespread pollutant in the environment and within the human body. This study used zebrafish, an aquatic model species, to investigate how low levels of chronic PFOA exposure affect the reproductive system. The results of the experiments in which zebrafish were exposed to 414 ng/L or 4140 ng/L for 60 days showed a variety of adverse effects on testicular tissue and sperm, including dose-dependent changes in plasma estradiol and testosterone levels, various sperm malformations, decreased sperm motility and concentration, and PFOA-induced oxidative stress and testicular damage with increased rates of apoptosis. In addition, offspring of the zebrafish that had been exposed to PFOA were characterized by increased malformation and mortality. Subsequent transcriptional analyses of the male gonads revealed the significant activation of oxidative stress bioprocesses and immuno-inflammatory signaling pathways, along with the dysregulation of reproductive bioprocesses. In conclusion, low-level chronic exposure to PFOA affects both the reproductive performance of adults and the development of offspring; the mechanisms for these adverse effects involve alterations in several molecular pathways that may be involved in PFOA-induced oxidative stress and reproductive abnormalities. The presented data can be used to assess the ecotoxicity of PFOA to the male reproductive system at environmentally-relevant concentrations.

中文翻译：

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与低水平慢性 PFOA 暴露相关的斑马鱼精子和睾丸不良反应的可能机制


全氟辛酸 （PFOA） 广泛用于含氟聚合物涂料和聚四氟乙烯的制造，现已成为环境和人体内的广泛污染物。这项研究使用斑马鱼（一种水生模式物种）来研究低水平的慢性 PFOA 暴露如何影响生殖系统。斑马鱼暴露于 414 ng/L 或 4140 ng/L 60 天的实验结果显示，对睾丸组织和精子有各种不利影响，包括血浆雌二醇和睾酮水平的剂量依赖性变化、各种精子畸形、精子活力和浓度降低，以及 PFOA 诱导的氧化应激和睾丸损伤，细胞凋亡率增加。此外，暴露于 PFOA 的斑马鱼的后代的特征是畸形和死亡率增加。随后对雄性性腺的转录分析揭示了氧化应激生物过程和免疫炎症信号通路的显着激活，以及生殖生物过程的失调。总之，低水平慢性 PFOA 暴露会影响成人的生殖性能和后代的发育;这些不良反应的机制涉及可能涉及 PFOA 诱导的氧化应激和生殖异常的几种分子途径的改变。所提供的数据可用于评估 PFOA 在环境相关浓度下对男性生殖系统的生态毒性。