Glioma is associated with exposure to legacy and alternative per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 441; p. 129819
• Main Authors: Xie, Meng-Yi, Sun, Xiang-Fei, Wu, Chen-Chou, Huang, Guang-Long, Wang, Po, Lin, Zhi-Ying, Liu, Ya-Wei, Liu, Liang-Ying, Zeng, Eddy Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.01.2023
• Subjects: Alkanesulfonic Acids - analysis; Brain tumor; Caprylates; Case study; China; Environmental Pollutants; Ethers; Female; Fluorocarbons - analysis; Humans; Ki-67 Antigen; Male; Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs); Sulfonamides; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; China; Brain tumor; Case study; Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129819

Data on the occurrences of legacy and alternative per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in glioma are scarce. It remains unclear if PFASs exposure is related to the prevalence of glioma. A total of 137 glioma and 40 non-glioma brain tissue samples from patients recruited from the Nanfang Hospital, South China were analyzed for 17 PFAS compounds. Perfluorohexanoic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate were frequently detected (> 60 %) in glioma. The total concentrations (range; median) of 17 PFASs in glioma (0.20–140; 3.1 ng g−1) were slightly higher than those in non-glioma (0.35–32; 2.2 ng g−1), but without statistical significance. The PFAS concentrations in males were statistically higher (p < 0.05) than those in females. Elevated glioma grades were associated with higher concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, and FOSA. Positive correlations were observed between PFAS concentrations (especially for PFOA) and Ki-67 or P53 expression, pathological molecular markers of glioma. Our findings suggested that exposure to PFASs might increase the probability to develop glioma. This is the first case study demonstrating associations between PFASs exposure and brain cancer. More evidences and potential pathogenic mechanisms warranted further investigations. [Display omitted] •PFASs were commonly detected in glioma and non-glioma human brain tissues.•PFOA concentration positively correlated with glioma grade, Ki-67 and P53 expression.•Glioma is partially ascribed to exposure to legacy and alternative PFASs.