Fibrex
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) belongs to a large group of anthropogenic compounds known for high persistency known as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). Widespread use from industry to household appliances and food-contact materials contributes to our measurable PFAS exposure which has been found to primarily comes from food sources. Associations to food groups indicate a diet rich in vegetables and dietary fibre might lower PFOS levels in humans but little experimental data is available and knowledge on the role of the microbiota and abiotic factors is limited. Here, we investigated PFOS uptake and depuration after 7 days of daily dosing with 3 mg/kg PFOS or corn oil control in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats fed diets either high or absent of soluble complex dietary fibres. We concurrently followed longitudinal changes in abiotic factors, the ileal, caecal, and faecal microbiome by 16S community sequencing, and systemic and excreted PFOS concentrations along with proportional analysis of linear and branched isomers. Results revealed large changes in abiotic factors between diets and higher PFOS concentrations in gastrointestinal content of rats fed high fibre diet while no marked difference in systemic uptake or depuration rates. PFOS affected the gut microbiota for both diets but had a broader impact in the microbiota formed on a low fibre diet. Our results suggest that a diet rich in dietary fibres might accelerate depuration based on increased faecal PFOS concentrations and seem to ameliorate against PFOS-induced modulations of the intestinal microbiota.