Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41915190›Full record

ArticleArchives of toxicology2026

Development of a QSAR model for predicting PPARα activation by PFAS based on human in vitro data of a comprehensive panel of legacy and novel PFAS.

Wiebke Alker, Periklis Tsiros, Haralambos Sarimveis, Albert Braeuning, Thorsten Buhrke

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of toxicology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wiebke Alker *Department Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Periklis Tsiros *School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str, 15772, Athens, Greece.
Haralambos SarimveisSchool of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str, 15772, Athens, Greece.
Albert BraeuningDepartment Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Thorsten BuhrkeDepartment Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany. thorsten.buhrke@bfr.bund.de.ORCID 0000-0003-1630-6242

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of persistent environmental contaminants. Some PFAS are known to bioaccumulate, are frequently detected in human serum, and are associated with several adverse effects on the immune system, the endocrine system, and the liver. PFAS-mediated activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), which plays a key role in lipid and cholesterol homeostasis, is suggested to be an important molecular initiating event triggering PFAS toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PPARα activation potential of a diverse panel of 34 PFAS congeners, consisting of both legacy and novel compounds, using a PPARα-dependent transactivation assay in transfected HEK293T cells. The resulting concentration-response data were analyzed using benchmark dose (BMD) modelling to quantify PPARα activation potency. A key finding was that PFAS with a sulfonic acid group showed a lower potency compared to those with a carboxylic group. The most potent activators belonged to the perfluoroalkylether carboxylic acid (PFECA) subgroup. Computational descriptors were generated to characterize each congener, and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling was applied to relate molecular features to in vitro PPARα activation potency, as expressed by BMD estimates. For prioritization purposes in the context of PFAS hazard characterization, the QSAR model was used to screen about 10,000 PFAS congeners. Of these, roughly 10% were within the defined applicability domain of the developed QSAR model. Predicted BMD concentrations for PPARα activation were in the range between 0.3 µM and 420 µM.

Indexed as

Environmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsPPAR alphaQuantitative Structure-Activity RelationshipDose-Response Relationship, DrugHEK293 CellsHumansEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsPPAR alphaPPARA protein, humanBMDPFASPPARαQSAR

Identifiers

PMID41915190
PMCPMC13086658

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.