Health and environmental risks regarding perfluorooctanoic acid, a well-known perfluorinated compound, are still a subject of great concern. Ubiquitous exposure and disparity of results make it difficult to determine the underlying mechanism of action, especially at the cellular level. This study proposes an experimental design to assess the reversibility of adverse effects after a one-time exposure to the compound, in comparison with other more conventional timings. Complementary endpoints including total protein content, neutral red uptake and MTT reduction tests along with division rates and microscopic observations were evaluated in HeLa cells. In addition, PFOA quantification inside the cells was performed. The cellular effects exerted after 24 h exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid are non-reversible after a 48 h recovery period. In addition, we describe for the first time the induction of plasma membrane blebbing and the activation of membrane repair mechanisms after recovery from non-cytotoxic treatments with the compound. This experimental design has provided relevant information regarding the toxicity of this perfluorinated compound, relating all the adverse effects detected to its interaction with the plasma membrane.

关于全氟辛酸（一种众所周知的全氟化合物）的健康和环境风险仍然是一个令人高度关注的问题。无处不在的暴露和结果的差异使得很难确定潜在的作用机制，尤其是在细胞水平上。这项研究提出了一项实验设计，与其他更常规的计时方法相比，评估了一次性暴露于该化合物后不良反应的可逆性。在HeLa细胞中评估了补充终点，包括总蛋白质含量，中性红摄取和MTT降低测试以及分裂率和显微镜观察结果。另外，对细胞内的PFOA进行定量。暴露于全氟辛酸24小时后产生的细胞效应在48小时恢复期后不可逆。此外，我们首次描述了从化合物的非细胞毒性治疗中恢复后，质膜起泡的诱导和膜修复机制的激活。该实验设计提供了有关该全氟化合物毒性的相关信息，并将所检测到的所有不利影响与其与质膜的相互作用相关联。