Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (
HFPO-DA) is the substitute for perfluoro
octanoic acid (PFOA), and recently it has been detected in environmental water samples worldwide and has multiple toxicities. However, whether it will affect the intestines and gut microbiota remains unclear. In this study, in order to evaluate the gut toxicity of
HFPO-DA in mammals, male mice were orally exposed to 0, 2, 20, 200 μg/L
HFPO-DA, respectively, for 6 weeks. Our results showed that
HFPO-DA exposure caused colonic
inflammation which was coupled with increased TNF-α levels in serum and increased
mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, p65, TLR4, MCP-1 of the colon in mice after exposure to 200 μg/L
HFPO-DA. We also found that
HFPO-DA exposure induced the decreased
mRNA expression levels and
protein levels of MUC2 and ZO-1, which means the dysfunction of gut barrier in the colon. In the ileum, we found that
HFPO-DA exposure induced the increased
mRNA expression levels of various inflammatory factors, but no obvious changes was found to barrier function. Additionally,
HFPO-DA exposure caused the imbalance of cecal gut microbiota and changes of cecal microbiota diversity. Taken together, all these results indicate the potential gut toxicity of
HFPO-DA and is perceived as a major problem of health risk that affects the
inflammation, gut barrier dysfunction, and gut microbiota disturbance in mammals.