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Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a persistent environmental pollutant, has adverse effects on gestation pregnancy. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is involved in angiogenesis, metabolic processes, anti-inflammatory, and reproductive development. However, the function of PPARγ in PFOS evoked disadvantageous effects on the placenta remain uncertain. Here, we explored the role of PPARγ in PFOS-induced placental toxicity. Cell viability, cell migration, angiogenesis, and mRNA expression were monitored by CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, tube formation assay, and real-time PCR, respectively. Activation and overexpression of PPARγ were conducted by rosiglitazone or pcDNA-PPARγ, and inhibition and knockdown of PPARγ were performed by GW9662 or si-PPARγ. Results revealed that PFOS decreased cell growth, migration, angiogenesis, and increased inflammation in human HTR-8/SVneo and JEG-3 cells. Placenta diameter and fetal weight decreased in mice treated with PFOS (12.5 mg/kg). In addition, rosiglitazone or pcDNA-PPARγ rescued cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and decreased inflammation induced by PFOS in HTR8/SVneo and JEG-3 cells. Furthermore, GW9662 or si-PPARγ exacerbated the inhibition of cell viability, migration, angiogenesis, and aggravated inflammation induced by PFOS in HTR-8/SVneo and JEG-3 cells. Meanwhile, the results of mRNA expression level were consistent with the cell representation. In conclusion, our findings revealed that PFOS induced placenta cell toxicity and functional damage through PPARγ pathway.

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability around the world. Although several studies have been conducted to analyze the association between vitamins and depression, the results have been inconsistent. Based on the database of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2005&ndash, 2006), a cross-sectional analysis was conducted to uncover the correlations between serum vitamin concentrations and depression in 2791 participants over 20 years of age. Vitamin concentrations in serum were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a standardized liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) or radioassay kit method. A nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression symptoms. The binary logistic regression model was applied to analyze the association between vitamins and depression. In the whole population, negative associations were discovered between folate concentrations (p for trend = 0.02), trans-&beta, carotene (p for trend = 0.01) and depression, while positive associations were found among vitamin B12 concentrations (p for trend = 0.008), vitamin A concentrations (p for trend = 0.01) and depression. In order to evaluate the influence of gender on the pathogenesis of depression of vitamins exposure, we performed gender-stratified analysis. In females, folate concentrations (p for trend = 0.03) and vitamin B12 concentrations (p for trend = 0.02) were correlated with depression. In males, no significant association was found between depression and serum vitamin concentrations. The correlation of vitamins with depression deserves further investigation in larger and diverse populations, especially in females.