Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42128928›Full record

ArticleArchives of toxicology2026

Analysis of transcriptomic alterations induced by 33 different per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in differentiated HepaRG cells.

Heike Sprenger, Wiebke Alker, Anna Rocchi, Chiara Leo, Rosa Giglio, Greta Immobile Molaro, Francesco Dondero, 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. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Heike SprengerDepartment Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Wiebke AlkerDepartment Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Anna RocchiNGS and Bioinformatic Laboratory - Polo d'Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia SRL, Strada del Petriccio e Belriguardo 35, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Chiara LeoNGS and Bioinformatic Laboratory - Polo d'Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia SRL, Strada del Petriccio e Belriguardo 35, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Rosa GiglioNGS and Bioinformatic Laboratory - Polo d'Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia SRL, Strada del Petriccio e Belriguardo 35, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Greta Immobile MolaroNGS and Bioinformatic Laboratory - Polo d'Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia SRL, Strada del Petriccio e Belriguardo 35, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Francesco DonderoDepartment of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont Alessandria Novara Vercelli, Viale Michel 11, 15121, Alessandria, Italy.
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

Due to their high persistence and adverse health effects in humans the use of a number of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been restricted. As a consequence, novel PFAS are increasingly being introduced for industrial applications, although toxicological data are still limited or lacking for many of these compounds. This study examined the molecular mechanisms of action of novel PFAS with a focus on mono- and polyether PFAS with linear or branched structures and either carboxylic acid or sulfonic acid functional groups. Differentiated HepaRG cells, a model of human hepatocytes, were exposed for 24 h to different PFAS congeners at three non-cytotoxic concentrations each. Total RNA was isolated and subjected to whole transcriptome analysis. The study provides transcriptomic data for in total 33 PFAS congeners, for 13 of them for the first time. For most PFAS, the number of differentially expressed genes (DEG) increased in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas five PFAS induced only minor transcriptional changes even at the highest test concentration. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed broadly comparable transcriptional responses across all 33 PFAS, indicating convergent molecular effects in HepaRG cells despite marked structural differences among the PFAS congeners. The tested PFAS consistently activated canonical pathways related to fatty acid and lipid metabolism, mainly regulated by the nuclear receptor PPARα, and also affected pathways related to xenobiotic metabolism, partially linked to PXR and CAR signaling. In addition, several PFAS inhibited cholesterol and bile acid biosynthesis pathways. IPA further predicted effects on hepatocyte-relevant upstream regulators such as HNF4A, HNF1A, and FOXA2. Finally, IPA tox-function analysis indicated associations between PFAS-induced transcriptional changes and liver diseases related to cholestasis.

Indexed as

Environmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsHepatocytesTranscriptomeCell DifferentiationCell LineDose-Response Relationship, DrugGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression RegulationHumansPPAR alphaReceptors, Cytoplasmic and NuclearEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsPPAR alphaReceptors, Cytoplasmic and NuclearCholesterolHepaRGIPALipid metabolismNuclear receptorsPFASTranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID42128928
PMCPMC13454013

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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.