Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been found extensively in wildlife and human bodies by sources of drinking water and food. In this study, we investigated the effects of three PFAAs, perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), on the antioxidative defense system and lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes separately. The results demonstrated that they could lead to significant decline trends in the glutathione (GSH) levels together with increases of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, suggesting that three PFAAs induced oxidative stress to erythrocytes. Also PFDA with a longer carbon chain length posed more of a threat than other two PFAAs. Furthermore, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were also altered in the presence of PFAAs upon erythrocytes. The changes of oxidative stress markers and the concomitant alterations of antioxidant enzymes suggest the role of oxidative stress in PFAA-induced damage upon erythrocytes.
Keywords: erythrocytes; oxidative stress; perfluoroalkyl acids.