Maternal Transfer of Bisphenol A During Nursing Causes Sperm Impairment in Male Offspring (original) (raw)

2015, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

The health effects of environmental chemicals on animals and humans are of growing concern. Human epidemiological and animal study data indicate that reproductive disorders and diseases begin early during prenatal and postnatal development. An increase of human male reproductive disturbance in the past several decades was associated to chemicals called endocrine disruptors (ED). Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous organic environmental contaminant with ED activity. This study verified the effect of BPA exposure via breast milk during the lactation (early postnatal) period in male mice. Dams were exposed to oral BPA (300, 900, and 3000 lg/kg/BW/day) during the breastfeeding period (21 days). BPA at all concentrations significantly impaired sperm parameters in adult mice (8 months old), but mitochondrial functionality was more affected at BPA 3000. The acrosome membrane parameter was affected by BPA concentrations from 900 to 3000, and DNA integrity showed pronounced impairment at BPA 900 and 3000. BPA 3000 treatment also induced testicular degeneration and complete aplasia in some seminiferous tubules. Testicular oxidative damage was observed, and the total antioxidant capacity was impaired in BPA 900 and 3000 treatment groups. Taken together, the present study demonstrated long-term adverse effects of BPA in male mice, including reduced sperm quality, antioxidant capacity, and changes in testicular tissue. Our results clearly demonstrate the danger of BPA transferred via lactation on sperm quality registered even after a long time-elapsed from exposure to this harmful chemical. Environmental estrogens and antiandrogens are nonsteroidal natural or man-made compounds that can mimic hormones and alter the function of the endocrine system in humans and wildlife. This can lead to a variety of health effects. Bisphenol A [BPA, 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane] has wide industrial use in the production of synthetic manufactured products, such as resin epoxy and plastic polycarbonates. BPA is found in many end products, including dental sealants, coatings for food cans, linings for metal cans, polyvinyl chloride, and medical equipment (Thomson and Grounds 2005; Benuchour and Aris 2009). BPA is released into the environment through sewage-treatment effluent, via hydrolysis from plastics, and the natural degradation of polycarbonate plastics exposed to heat, acidic, or alkaline conditions. BPA received heightened attention in the past decade because of its ubiquitous presence and its endocrine disruption effects (Quitmeyer and Roberts 2007). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (ED) are biologically active compounds that mimic or antagonize the effects of endogenous hormones and cause many diseases via systemic deleterious effects (Swedenborg et al. 2010). Some toxic effects from BPA were registered in adult animals, but more attention has focused on exposure during the perinatal period. This period is critical to the organizational programming of organs, and harmful effects confer increased susceptibility for diseases later in life.