Effects of perfluorodecanoic acid on hepatic indices of thyroid status in the rat

Abstract

Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) alters the circulating level of thyroid hormones, but the physiological significance of this change at the target tissue remains to be defined. To this end, the activities of thyroid-responsive hepatic enzymes were examined in adult male rats 1 week after treatment with a single dose of PFDA (20, 40 or 80 mg/kg). Since PFDA treatment caused a dose-related reduction in feed intake, vehicle-treated rats pair-fed to their counterparts receiving PFDA were used to determine if any of the PFDA-induced alterations in enzyme activity were secondary to hypophagia. Following the administration of PFDA, l-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a liver mitochondrial enzyme sensitive to thyroid status, exhibited a modest increase in activity, whereas that of succinate dehydrogenase, a constitutive mitochondrial marker enzyme, was similar in both PFDA-treated rats and their pair-fed counterparts at all dose levels examined. Activity of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase was also augmented modestly in livers of rats receiving PFDA. In contrast, activity of cytosolic malic enzyme, a thyroid-responsive enzyme, was increased markedly in PFDA-treated rats. Hepatic activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which also responds to alterations in thyroid status, exhibited a modest increase with 20 and 40 mg/kg PFDA but was similar in both PFDA-treated rats and their pair-fed counterparts at the 80 mg/kg dose level. Absolute and relative liver mass was elevated in PFDA-treated rats at all dose levels in comparison to the appropriate vehicle-treated pair-fed animals. Total hepatic content of DNA was maintained in PFDA-treated rats at all dose levels, whereas a significant decrease in liver DNA was found in the vehicle-treated rats pair-fed to animals receiving 80 mg/kg PFDA. Following administration of PFDA, protein content per total liver was similar to that of their pair-fed counterparts. Thus, the pattern of activity of thyroid-responsive hepatic enzymes was not compatible with a functional shift toward a lessened thyroid status in rats treated with PFDA.