Abstract:Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exhibited significant reproductive toxicity to the soil springtail Folsomia candida. This study represented an initial exploration into the oxidative stress and reproduction-related gene expression induced by PFASs and their substitutes, aiming to elucidate the molecular-level reproductive toxicity of PFASs. The findings revealed that three PFASs (PFOA、PFBA、F-53B) induced up-regulation in cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP6N4V1, CYP6N3V2), genes associated with oxidative stress, with F-53B exhibiting the highest up-regulation amplitude (4.94 and 11.07 times respectively). Additionally, PFASs significantly suppressed the activity of Cathepsin L (CTSL), a gene associated with reproduction. The expression level of CTSL was observed to be only 64%, 39.0%, and 15% respectively compared to that of the control group levels when exposed to PFOA, PFBA, and F-53B treatments. These results indicated that perfluorinated compounds exert substantial regulatory effects on oxidative stress and reproductive-related genes in Folsomia candida inhabiting soil environments. Five differentially expressed genes (CYP6N3V2, CYP6N4V1, CTSL, VMO1, and Vitrec) can serve as target genes for early warning indicators regarding exposure to PFASs in soil-dwelling collembolan species such as Folsomia candida.