Work

Exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzene sulfonate is associated with aberrant barbering behavior in diabetic mice

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study originated from an incidental behavioral observation. We found that exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzene sulfonate (OBS; 3 μg/L), as reported in a previous field measurement study, was associated with aberrant barbering behavior in diabetic mice. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, sixteen 8-week-old male db/db mice were administered OBS at 3 μg/L for 91 days. Biochemical assays of endothelial- and barrier-related markers, hippocampal OBS quantification, stereotaxic hippocampal OBS administration, and metagenomic sequencing of the colonic contents and hippocampal tissues were performed. Based on the metagenomic results, computational biology analyses, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and protein functional annotation, were conducted to assess potential OBS-bacterial protein interactions. The results showed that exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of OBS was associated with aberrant barbering behavior in the experimental mice (100 % prevalence). Circulating markers of endothelial activation and basal lamina injury were significantly elevated. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the abundance of Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae was significantly increased in both the colonic contents and hippocampal tissues, with hippocampal abundance positively correlated with colonic abundance. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that OBS binds effectively to two bacterial proteins. Functional annotation suggested that these proteins are associated with central metabolic and biosynthetic processes relevant to bacterial proliferation. Together, these findings suggest that exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of OBS is associated with aberrant barbering behavior in diabetic mice and may be associated with increased colonic S. enterica subsp. diarizonae abundance and its presence in the hippocampus. • Exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of OBS was associated with compulsive-like barbering behavior in diabetic mice (100 % prevalence). • OBS exposure was associated with increased circulating markers of endothelial activation and basal lamina injury. • Metagenomic analysis identified S. enterica subsp. diarizonae as the only species significantly enriched in both the colonic contents and hippocampal tissues following OBS exposure, with hippocampal abundance positively correlated with colonic abundance. • Computational biological analyses showed stable and energetically favorable interactions between OBS and two S. enterica subsp. diarizonae proteins, which are predicted to be associated with central metabolic and biosynthetic processes relevant to bacterial proliferation.

Source: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119906

Authors: De Xin Dang, Shaoyong Xu

Institutions: First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang Central Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research

Subfield: Environmental Chemistry

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650