Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are emerging organic environmental pollutants, which were accused of various toxic effects. Here, we studied the role of a potential PBDEs quinone metabolite, PBDEQ, on cytotoxicity, oxidative DNA damage, and the alterations of signal cascade in HeLa cells. PBDEQ exposure leads to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, increasing terminal transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) positive foci, and the elevation of apoptosis rate. Furthermore, we showed PBDEQ exposure result in increased DNA migration, micronucleus frequency, and the promotion of 8-OHdG and phosphorylation of histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) levels. Mechanism study indicated that PBDEQ caused poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) activation and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) nuclear translocation. All together, these results confirmed the occurrence of parthanatos-like cell death upon PBDEQ exposure.