As typical perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been detected in various environmental media and their toxic effects have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how PFCs cause cell apoptosis in healthy hepatocytes by inducing oxidative stress at the subcellular and molecular levels. In this study, the apoptotic pathways induced by PFOA and PFOS were explored. Besides, the effects of PFCs on the structure and function of lysozyme (LYZ) were investigated. After PFOA and PFOS exposure, the cell membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential were damaged. Further, PFOA and PFOS increased intracellular Ca2+ levels to 174.41 ± 1.70 and 158.91 ± 5.94%, respectively. Ultimately, caspase-3 was activated, causing cell apoptosis. As an indirect antioxidant enzyme, the molecular structure of LYZ was destroyed after interacting with PFOA and PFOS. Both PFOA and PFOS bound to the active center of LYZ, leading to the decrease of LYZ activity to 91.26 ± 0.78 and 76.01 ± 4.86%, respectively. This study demonstrates that PFOA and PFOS inhibit LYZ function, which can reduce the body’s ability to resist oxidative stress, and then lead to mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.

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Organic solvents like 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone which are widely used in industrial production play an important role in the source of chemical pollution. Based on the current gaps in 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone cytotoxicity studies, the earthworms in the soil, which are susceptible to solvent leakage and volatilization, were selected as the receptor. The cytotoxicity of 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone was revealed by measuring the multiple intracellular indicators of oxidative stress. At the molecular level, changes in the structure and function of antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) were characterized in vitro by a variety of spectroscopy methods and molecular docking. The results show that 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone that induced the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species can eventually decrease the cell viability of coelomocytes, accompanied by the regular changes of antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation level. In addition, the exposure of 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone can shrink the backbone structure of CAT, quench the uorescence and misfold the secondary structure. The decrease in enzyme activity should be attributed to the structural changes induced by surface binding. This study discussed the toxicological effects and mechanisms of commonly used organic solvents at the cellular and molecular level, which creatively proposed a new combined method.

Organic solvents like 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone which are widely used in industrial production play an important role in the source of chemical pollution. Based on the current gaps in 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone cytotoxicity studies, the earthworms in the soil, which are susceptible to solvent leakage and volatilization, were selected as the receptor. The cytotoxicity of 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone was revealed by measuring the multiple intracellular indicators of oxidative stress. At the molecular level, changes in the structure and function of antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) were characterized in vitro by a variety of spectroscopy methods and molecular docking. The results show that 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone that induced the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species can eventually decrease the cell viability of coelomocytes, accompanied by the regular changes of antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation level. In addition, the exposure of 2-Pentanone and 2-Hexanone can shrink the backbone structure of CAT, quench the fluorescence and misfold the secondary structure. The decrease in enzyme activity should be attributed to the structural changes induced by surface binding. This study discussed the toxicological effects and mechanisms of commonly used organic solvents at the cellular and molecular level, which creatively proposed a new combined method.