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Haloacetamides disinfection by-products, a potential risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

  • Zhiqiang Jiang
    ,
  • Lili Yang
    ,
  • Qinxin Liu
    ,
  • Meiyue Qiu
    ,
  • Yu Chen
    ,
  • Fei Qu
  • Fudan University
    ,
  • University of Oxford
    ,
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore
    ,
  • ScitoVation LLC
    ,
  • Qingdao University
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Open access

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormal lipid deposition, with oxidative stress being a risk factor in its onset and progression. Haloacetamides (HAcAms), as unregulated disinfection by-products in drinking water, may alter the incidence and severity of NAFLD through the production of oxidative stress. We explored whether HAcAms at 1, 10, and 100-fold concentrations in Shanghai drinking water perturbed lipid metabolism in normal human liver LO-2 cells. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to construct a LO-2 line with stable NRF2 knock-down (NRF2-KD) to investigate the mechanism underlying abnormal lipid accumulation and hepatocyte damage caused by mixed exposure to HAcAms. At 100-fold real-world concentration, HAcAms caused lipid deposition and increased triglyceride accumulation in LO-2 cells, consistent with altered de novo lipogenesis. Differences in responses to HAcAms in normal and NRF2-KD LO-2 cells indicated that HAcAms caused hepatocyte lipid deposition and triglyceride accumulation by activation of the NRF2/PPARγ pathway and aggravated liver cell toxicity by inducing ferroptosis. These results indicate that HAcAms are important risk factors for NAFLD. Further observations and verifications of the effect of HAcAms on NAFLD in the population are warranted in the future.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Article number

122008

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Water Research (Volume 261)

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 26/06/2024
  • Published - 27/06/2024

Publication status

Published - 27/06/2024

ISSN

0043-1354

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/626326
  • Scopus: 85197359596

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