PFAS effects on reproductive system of freshwater fish

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Presenter(s)

Anshu Mehta

Abstract or Description

Per- and polyfluoralkylated substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals with potential adverse impacts on reproductive and metabolic health in exposed humans and wildlife. To evaluate how PFAS exposure affects reproductive health of fish, Dr. Vajda’s team had conducted a series of on-site fish exposure experiments at a well- characterized PFAS-contaminated site at Joint Base Cape Cod, MA.

The study species was the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), a native North American freshwater fish that is a widely used model organism for ecotoxicological studies. Male fathead minnows were exposed for up to 21 days to groundwater contaminated with high concentrations of PFAS, water from an uncontaminated reference site with low concentrations of PFAS, and mixtures of contaminated and uncontaminated water. Water and tissue samples were collected to evaluate occurrence and effects of PFAS and co- occurring contaminants. Preliminary findings suggests that the cell-cycle in fish testes is sensitive to the effects of PFAS and may be a suitable predictor of human and ecological risk. Expression of immunohistochemical markers of cell-death and cell proliferation indicated testicular toxicity. Microscopy and qualitative assessment of testes histology indicate the dominant spermatogenetic stage of testes varied between sites showing how cells and their abundance may be linked to site-specific environmental contaminants. Results will also be presented for secondary sex characteristics, organ-somatic indices, and plasma vitellogenin. Thus, through various factors a comprehensive picture of the effects of PFAS will be presented at RaCAS.This research uniquely addresses PFAS impacts in the context of complex environmental mixtures and informed assessments of PFAS hazard to human and ecosystem health.