From the journal:

Chemical Communications

PFOA induces fission of phase-separated phospholipid vesicles

Seungsu Han,†a   Emad Pirhadi,†a   Xin Yong ORCID logo *a  and  Sangwoo Shin ORCID logo *a  

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
E-mail: xinyong@buffalo.edu, sangwoos@buffalo.edu

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known for their strong surface activity, making it easy for them to disrupt cellular membranes. Here, we examine how perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most widespread PFAS species in the environment, interacts with phase-separated ternary vesicles as a model system for cellular membranes. We show experimentally that PFOA induces rapid fission of the vesicles along the phase boundary. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the mechanism behind the fission process is attributed to a drastic change in the spontaneous curvature of the vesicle upon interacting with PFOA. Our findings reveal the significance of PFAS on the dynamics of phase-separated vesicles, implying a potential disruptive impact of PFAS exposure on cellular membranes.

Graphical abstract: PFOA induces fission of phase-separated phospholipid vesicles

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CC03353E
Article type
Communication
Submitted
13 Jun 2025
Accepted
05 Aug 2025
First published
06 Aug 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Commun., 2025, Advance Article

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PFOA induces fission of phase-separated phospholipid vesicles

S. Han, E. Pirhadi, X. Yong and S. Shin, Chem. Commun., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5CC03353E

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