Maternal PFOS Exposure Impairs β‑Cell Insulin Secretion and Glucose Tolerance in Rats

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ID: 332246
2026
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Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is epidemiologically linked to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but the mechanisms remain undefined. We hypothesized that PFOS exposure impairs pancreatic β-cell function through mitochondrial dysfunction and deficits in ATP/cAMP signaling. Pregnant and non-pregnant rats received PFOS (50 μg/mL in drinking water) for 17 days (gestation day [GD] 4-20 in pregnant dams). PFOS-exposed pregnant dams exhibited fasting hypoinsulinemia (65% decrease) with normal fasting glucose. Glucose tolerance was impaired (31% increase in glucose AUC), with blunted insulin secretion (52% decrease in insulin AUC). In contrast, non-pregnant PFOS-exposed rats showed no changes in fasting glucose or insulin but developed glucose intolerance (25% increase in glucose AUC) with only modest early insulin suppression, revealing greater vulnerability in pregnancy. Pancreatic islet morphology and insulin content remained unchanged in PFOS-exposed dams. Isolated islets from PFOS-exposed dams and INS-1 β-cells treated with PFOS (10-100 μM) showed reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion despite normal Ins1 and Ins2 expression and insulin content. In INS-1 cells, PFOS selectively reduced Complex II subunits, depleted ATP (32-39%) and cAMP (57-74%), and impaired insulin secretion under low and high glucose. Co-treatment with the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ (0.1μM) fully restored ATP, cAMP, and insulin secretion to control levels. These findings demonstrate that PFOS exposure causes gestational glucose intolerance and β-cell secretory failure, accompanied by reduced mitochondrial Complex II subunit abundance and ATP/cAMP depletion. The complete rescue by MitoQ highlights oxidative mitochondrial dysfunction as a mechanistic contributor linking PFOS exposure and GDM risk.
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Authors Alissa Hofmann, Pankaj Yadav, Ruolin Song, Sri Vidya Dangudubiyyam, Jay Sharan Mishra, Sathish Kumar
Journal toxicological sciences : an official journal of the society of toxicology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/toxsci/kfag137
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfag137
Keywords Keywords not found

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