全氟己烷磺酸盐(PFHxS)是全氟和多氟烷基(PFAS)分子超家族的成员,以其氟化碳链为特征,并在广泛的工业应用中使用。PFHxS和全氟辛烷磺酸能够在环境和人类中积累,其血清消除半衰期约为数年。最近,一些PFAS化合物也被认为是潜在的免疫抑制剂。在这项研究中,我们分析了小鼠在12、120、1,200和12,000ng/kg/d的钾PFHxS重复口服28d后的免疫细胞数量,由此产生的血清水平高达1600纳克/毫升,在普通人群中发现的近似范围,在PFAS工人中的较高水平。分析免疫抑制剂环磷酰胺作为阳性对照。B细胞,T细胞,和骨髓中的粒细胞,肝脏,脾,脾淋巴结,对胸腺进行了评估。我们发现在这些曝光中,PFHxS对主要的T或B细胞群体没有影响,巨噬细胞,树突状细胞,嗜碱性粒细胞,肥大细胞,嗜酸性粒细胞,中性粒细胞,或循环Ab同种型。相比之下,暴露于环磷酰胺的小鼠表现出胸腺中几种粒细胞和T细胞和B细胞群的消耗,骨髓,和脾脏,以及IgG1,IgG2b,IgG2c,IgG3,IgE,和IgM。这些数据表明,暴露高达12,000ng/kg的PFHxS28d不会影响幼稚小鼠的免疫细胞数量,这为评估暴露于这种化合物的风险和健康影响提供了有价值的信息。
Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) is a member of the per- and polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS) superfamily of molecules, characterized by their fluorinated carbon chains and use in a wide range of industrial applications. PFHxS and perfluorooctane sulfonate are able to accumulate in the environment and in humans with the approximated serum elimination half-life in the range of several years. More recently, some PFAS compounds have also been suggested as potential immunosuppressants. In this study, we analyze immune cell numbers in mice following 28-d repeated oral exposure to potassium PFHxS at 12, 120, 1,200, and 12,000 ng/kg/d, with resulting serum levels ranging up to ∼1,600 ng/ml, approximating ranges found in the general population and at higher levels in PFAS workers. The immunosuppressant cyclophosphamide was analyzed as a positive control. B cells, T cells, and granulocytes from the bone marrow, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and thymus were evaluated. We found that at these exposures, there was no effect of PFHxS on major T or B cell populations, macrophages, dendritic cells, basophils, mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, or circulating Ab isotypes. By contrast, mice exposed to cyclophosphamide exhibited depletion of several granulocyte and T and B cell populations in the thymus, bone marrow, and spleen, as well as reductions in IgG1, IgG2b, IgG2c, IgG3, IgE, and IgM. These data indicate that exposures of up to 12,000 ng/kg of PFHxS for 28 d do not affect immune cell numbers in naive mice, which provides valuable information for assessing the risks and health influences of exposures to this compound.