Abstract:

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of persistent organic pollutants, were proved to be endocrine disruptors and neurotoxic agents. However, there are few reports about the toxic effects of their hydroxylated metabolites. Our objective was to investigate the cytotoxicity of 6-hydroxylated2,2′,4,4′tetrapolybrominated diphenyl ethers (6-OH-BDE47) and its effects on anti-oxidative systems in A549 cells after acute exposure. The results show that 6-OH-BDE47 has obvious cytotoxicity, and the A549 cell survival gradually decrease after exposure in a dose and time-dependent manner. Acute exposure experiment confirmed that the oxidative stress system of A549 cells was seriously impaired by 6-OH-BDE47. When the final concentration of 6-OH-BDE47 in culture medium was higher than 0.5 μmol/L, the total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) content in treatment group cells increased by 1.03  times compared to the control group cells; and ≥ 2.0 μmol/L of 6-OH-BDE47 reduced the glutathione content by 71.2%. These results suggest that 6-OH-BDE47 has certain cytotoxicity on A549 cells and can impair oxidative stress responses as evidenced by increased SOD activity and decreased GSH.

Key words: polybrominated diphenyl ethers; persistent organic pollutants; oxidative stress; BDE47