Effect of Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on immune cell development and function in mice

Perfluorinated compounds, such as Perfluoroctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are compounds containing carbon chains where hydrogens have been replaced with fluorines, and belong to a larger family known as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The strength of the carbon–fluorine bond makes perfluorinated compounds extremely resistant to environmental degradation. Due to the persistent nature of PFOS, research has been directed to elucidating possible health effects of PFOS on humans and laboratory animals. Here we have explored the effects of PFOS exposure on immune development and function in mice. We exposed adult wild-type mice to 3 and 1.5 μg/kg/day of PFOS for 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, and examined the effects of PFOS exposure on populations of T cells, B cells, and granulocytes. These doses of PFOS resulted in serum levels of approximately 100 ng/ml with no weight loss during exposure. We find that PFOS does not affect T-cell development during this time. However, while PFOS exposure reduced immune cell populations in some organs, it also led to an increase in the numbers of cells in others, suggesting possible relocalization of cells. We also examined the effect of PFOS on the response to influenza virus infection. We find that exposure to PFOS at 1.5 μg/kg/day of PFOS for 4 weeks does not affect weight loss or survival, nor is viral clearance affected. Analysis of antibody and T cell specific antiviral responses indicate that at this concentration, PFOS does not suppress the immune cell development or antigen specific immune response.