PFOS accumulates in nearly all donor pancreases and alters insulin secretion in a model-dependent manner
- Three legacy perfluoroalkyl acids were quantified in plasma and pancreas from human organ donors; PFOS was found in almost every pancreas, while PFOA appeared only rarely.
- A mouse model likewise showed PFOS reaching pancreas at higher levels than PFOA.
- In rat INS-1 cells, mouse islets and human islets, prolonged high-dose PFOS generally suppressed insulin release, whereas acute exposure raised it, partly blunted by a GLP-1 receptor antagonist.
- In mice, acute PFOS raised plasma insulin only alongside a glucose challenge.
💡 Points
Do the pancreatic concentrations measured in donors resemble the high doses that suppress secretion in INS-1 cells and islets? That mismatch decides how much the in vitro result transfers. Acute stimulation turning into prolonged suppression also suggests a time-dependent, biphasic response, and the mouse effect appearing only with a glucose challenge points to a context-dependent phenotype rather than overt beta-cell toxicity.