How a common pollutant messes with liver cells' energy burning
Exposure to short-chain chlorinated paraffins inhibited PPARα-mediated fatty acid oxidation and stimulated aerobic glycolysis in vitro in human cells.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how a chemical called SCCP affects liver cells. At low levels found in people, it stops the cells from burning fat properly and makes them switch to a less efficient way of making energy, like what happens in cancer cells.
Surprising Findings
SCCPs suppress fat-burning genes at low, human-relevant concentrations but weakly activate the same pathway at higher levels
This contradicts the expectation that stronger activation at high dose would lead to stronger effects at lower doses. Instead, the chemical disrupts metabolism more profoundly at environmentally relevant levels.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce exposure to products containing or contaminated with short-chain chlorinated paraffins (e.g., certain flame retardants, industrial lubricants, waterproof coatings)
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how a chemical called SCCP affects liver cells. At low levels found in people, it stops the cells from burning fat properly and makes them switch to a less efficient way of making energy, like what happens in cancer cells.
Surprising Findings
SCCPs suppress fat-burning genes at low, human-relevant concentrations but weakly activate the same pathway at higher levels
This contradicts the expectation that stronger activation at high dose would lead to stronger effects at lower doses. Instead, the chemical disrupts metabolism more profoundly at environmentally relevant levels.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce exposure to products containing or contaminated with short-chain chlorinated paraffins (e.g., certain flame retardants, industrial lubricants, waterproof coatings)
Publication
Journal
The Science of the total environment
Year
2021
Authors
Yufeng Gong, Ningbo Geng, Haijun Zhang, Yun Luo, J. Giesy, Shuai Sun, Ping Wu, Zhengkun Yu, Jiping Chen
Related Content
Claims (4)
Turning on a protein called PPARα helps cells move fat into tiny energy factories (mitochondria) so it can be burned for fuel.
Being exposed to a certain chemical (SCCPs) at a specific level seems to mess up how liver cells burn fat, based on lab tests with human liver cells in a dish.
A type of industrial chemical might turn on a certain human cell signal at high levels, but actually turns it off at lower levels that are more like what people are exposed to.
When liver cells are exposed to a common pollutant at a certain level, they start changing how they make energy — switching from their normal method to one usually seen in cancer cells, even though they're not cancerous.