Food is a major source of human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), yet little is known about their bioavailability in food matrices. Here, the relative bioavailability (RBA) of PFASs in foods was determined using an in vivo mouse model. Pork, which had the highest lipid content, exhibited the greatest effect on bioavailability by increasing the RBAs of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) while reducing those of fluorotelomer phosphate diesters (diPAPs). During intestinal digestion of lipids, the bioaccessibility of PFAAs increased due to their greater partition into the stable mixed micelles. However, diPAPs were more likely to partition into the undigested oil phase due to their strong hydrophobicity. Both in vitro incubation and molecular docking results indicated that the PFAAs exhibited stronger binding affinities with mouse blood chylomicrons (CMs) than with diPAPs. Collectively, both lipid digestion in the intestine and the carrier effect of CMs played important roles in modulating the bioavailability of PFASs in food. More attention should be given to further evaluating the health risks of PFASs associated with the intake of high-lipid foods.
Keywords: PFAA; apolipoprotein; bioavailability; chylomicron; diPAP; high-lipid food; micelle.