The blockage of the electron transport chains caused by PFOA isomers induced metabolic damage of Arabidopsis leaves

Different metabolic damage could be caused by PFOA isomers, although the harm mechanism has not been well studied. The effects of PFOA isomers on Arabidopsis metabolism were investigated using metabolomics, proteomics and molecular docking. Compared to Pn (linear PFOA), P3 (3 - methyl - perfluoroheptanoic acid, P3MHpA) induced a greater amount of oxidative damage and more dysregulation proteins. Both PFOA isomers caused significant metabolic disorders in oxidative stress and photosynthetic dysregulation, and they happened in similar molecular components including chloroplast and thylakoids. Proteins were more readily bound by ionic PFOA, and P3 exhibited higher ability than Pn. Isomers of the ionic PFOA bound to proteins in photosynthesis, particularly the ETC proteins, leading to a blockage of the electron transport chains in the chloroplast, which induced oxidative stress and photosynthetic toxicity. This study provides a novel and important mechanism for the photosynthetic toxicity of different PFOA isomers.