Date of Graduation
Fall 2024
Degree
Master of Science in Biology
Department
Biology
Committee Chair
Paul Durham
Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) has been phased out of production in the United States, but because of its resistance to degradation and its persistence in the environment, PFOS can be found in drinking water across America. Oral exposure to PFOS has been linked to adverse developmental, immunological, hepatic, and endocrine health. Oral PFOS exposure may alter the gut microbiota and cause dysbiosis, which is implicated in the pathology of inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and ulcerative colitis. The goal of the study was to investigate the effects of subchronic oral PFOS exposure on the composition of the gut microbiota. Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to PFOS via drinking water at concentrations of 0.5 and 5.0 µg/mL or only tap water (naïve) for the duration of the 28-day study. Fecal samples were collected on days 0, 14, and 28 before the DNA was isolated, pooled, and next generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was performed. A significant decrease in weight was observed in PFOS exposed males starting at week 1 (5.0 µg/mL) and 2 (0.5 µg/mL) and in females at week 3 (5.0 µg/mL). The Firmicutes to Bacteroides (F/B) ratio, an indicator of dysbiosis, decreased in PFOS exposed males and increased in females. Alpha diversity decreased in males and increased in females; clustering was observed between females exposed to 5.0 µg/mL PFOS and female and male naïve conditions in the Weighted UniFrac β-diversity. These findings indicate that oral exposure to PFOS causes mild dysbiosis, particularly in males, and hence, male PFOS exposure over time may increase the risk of diseases of the digestive system. My results support the notion that females have a protective mechanism and that their gut microbiota adapts to confer protection against PFOS-induced toxicity.
Keywords
PFAS, PFOS, EDC, gut microbiome, dysbiosis, inflammatory disease
Subject Categories
Biodiversity | Biology | Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology | Microbial Physiology | Other Microbiology | Toxicology
Copyright
© Emma Ann Loder
Recommended Citation
Loder, Emma Ann, "Effects of Subchronic Oral PFOS Exposure via Drinking Water on Gut Microbiota Composition" (2024). MSU Graduate Theses/Dissertations. 4024.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/4024
Open Access
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Biology Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Microbial Physiology Commons, Other Microbiology Commons, Toxicology Commons
