PFAS and their association with the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the major causes of death globally. In addition to traditional risk factors such as unhealthy lifestyles (smoking, obesity, sedentary) and genetics, common environmental exposures, including persistent environmental contaminants, may also influence cardiovascular disease risk. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of highly fluorinated chemicals used in household consumer and industrial products known to persist in our environment for years, causing health concerns that are now linked to endocrine disruptions and related outcomes in women, including interference of the cardiovascular and reproductive systems. In postmenopausal women, higher levels of PFAS are observed than in premenopausal women due to the cessation of menstruation, which is crucial for PFAS excretion. Because of these findings, we explored the association between Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) in postmenopausal women from our previously established CVD study. We used liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS), supported by machine learning approaches, and the detection and quantification of serum metabolites and proteins. Here, we show that PFOS can be a good predictor of coronary artery disease, while PFOA can be an intermediate predictor of coronary microvascular disease. We also found that the PFAS levels in our study are significantly associated with inflammation-related proteins. Our findings may provide new insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the PFAS-induced risk of cardiovascular diseases in this population.

Keywords: PFAS; cardiovascular disease; human serum; postmenopausal women.