PFOA and PFOS accumulation induces genotoxic damage and proteomic alterations in Cannabis sativa shoots

Due to their environmental persistence, widespread application, and toxicity to living organisms, contamination by PFAS has become a significant global concern. The ability of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) to accumulate PFAS in its aerial tissues makes it a candidate for PFAS phytoremediation, as well as a suitable biological model for assessing the toxicological effects of PFAS in higher eukaryotes. After in vitro culturing of industrial hemp for 14 days in the presence of 1 mg/L PFOA or 1 mg L/1 PFOS, no visible damage or macroscopic morphological alterations were evident, and a significant increase in shoot biomass and chlorophyll content following PFOA exposure was observed. Despite the higher accumulation of PFOS compared to PFOA both inhibited antioxidant enzymes activity, specifically catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, respectively. Alkaline Comet Assay showed nuclear damage in hemp leaves following both PFOA and PFOS accumulation, with the former significantly increasing 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine formation. Comparative proteomics analyses showed that PFOA and PFOS disrupt specific biological processes, with the former promoting the synthesis of proteins involved in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Both PFOA and PFOS altered the abundance of chloroplastic proteins, suggesting that this cellular compartment could be involved in the phytotoxicity mechanisms triggered by PFAAs.