Abstract
Nafion 117 membrane (N117), an important polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), has been widely used for numerous chemical technologies. Despite its increasing production and use, the toxicity data for N117 and its combustion products remain lacking. Toxicity studies are necessary to avoid problems related to waste disposal in landfills and incineration that may arise. In this study, we investigated the histopathological alterations, oxidative stress biomarker responses, and transcriptome profiles in the liver of male mice exposed to N117 and its combustion products for 24 days. An ion-chromatography system and liquid chromatography system coupled to a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used to analyze the chemical compositions of these combustion products. The transcriptomics analysis identified several significantly altered molecular pathways, including the metabolism of xenobiotics, carbohydrates and lipids; signal transduction; cellular processes; immune system; and signaling molecules and interaction. These studies provide preliminary data for the potential toxicity of N117 and its combustion products on living organisms and may fill the information gaps in the toxicity databases for the currently used PEMs.
Highlights
During the last few decades, the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) has gained worldwide attention because of its wide use in a variety of chemical technologies, including for fuel cells, electrodialyzers, and sensors [1,2]
Significant increases (p < 0.01) in the F- concentrations were observed in the combustion lacking oxygen supplementation (CLOS) and oxygen-enriched combustion (OEC) groups compared to the control
Several altered pathways were identified in the OEC group, including focal adhesion (30 Differentially expressed genes (DEGs)), endocytosis (25 DEGs), cell cycle (18 DEGs), and the p53 signaling pathway (11 DEGs). These results indicate that the combustion products of Nafion 117 membrane (N117) under oxygen-enriched conditions induce cytotoxicity in mouse livers, which may be caused by F- toxicity because F- is the primary component in the OEC products
Summary
During the last few decades, the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) has gained worldwide attention because of its wide use in a variety of chemical technologies, including for fuel cells, electrodialyzers, and sensors [1,2]. A polyperfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane developed by DuPont, is an important PEM because of its high proton conductivity, good chemical stability and high mechanical strength [5,6,7]. It consists of a carbon-fluorine backbone with perfluoro side chains containing sulfonic.
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