Cited by 87Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicalsEstrogen and related hormone effectsSexual Differentiation and Disorders

Impact of low dose oral exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) on the neonatal rat hypothalamic and hippocampal transcriptome: a clarity-BPA consortium study

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Arambula, Sheryl E., Belcher, Scott M., Planchart, Antonio, Turner, Stephen D., Patisaul, Heather B.·2016·Endocrinology

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting, high volume production chemical found in a variety of products.Evidence of prenatal exposure has raised concerns that developmental BPA may disrupt sex-specific brain organization and, consequently, induce lasting changes on neurophysiology and behavior.We and others have shown that exposure to BPA at doses below the noobserved-adverse-effect level can disrupt the sex-specific expression of estrogen-responsive genes in the neonatal rat brain including estrogen receptors (ERs).The present studies, conducted as part of the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights of BPA Toxicity program, expanded this work by examining the hippocampal and hypothalamic transcriptome on postnatal day 1 with the hypothesis that genes sensitive to estrogen and/or sexually dimorphic in expression would be altered by prenatal BPA exposure.NCTR Sprague-Dawley dams were gavaged from gestational day 6 until parturition with BPA (0-, 2.5-, 25-, 250-, 2500-, or 25 000-g/kg body weight [bw]/d).Ethinyl estradiol was used as a reference estrogen (0.05-or 0.5-g/kg bw/d).Postnatal day 1 brains were microdissected and gene expression was assessed with RNA-sequencing (0-, 2.5-, and 2500-g/kg bw BPA groups only) and/or quantitative real-time PCR (all exposure groups).BPA-related transcriptional changes were mainly confined to the hypothalamus.Consistent with prior observations, BPA induced sex-specific effects on hypothalamic ER␣ and ER␤ (Esr1 and Esr2) expression and hippocampal and hypothalamic oxytocin (Oxt) expression.These data demonstrate prenatal BPA exposure, even at doses below the current no-observed-adverse-effect level, can alter gene expression in the developing brain.(Endocrinology 157: 3856 -3872, 2016) B isphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupt- ing compound (EDC) used in a wide range of products, including food and beverage containers, medical equipment, plastic water pipes, and thermal receipts, from which it can leach, thereby resulting in human exposure (1-3).BPA has been found in human fetal plasma and in placental tissue (1, 2), indicating that maternal BPA is able to cross the placenta.Evidence of prenatal exposure has raised concern that subtle effects of developmental BPA exposure on brain organization and sexual differentiation may have long-term impacts on neurophysiology and behavior (3-5).Over the past decade, the National Toxicology Program (NTP), World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization, and others have expressed concern for effects on the brain and behavior (6 -10).The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, subsequently departed from this view and in 2014 stated that

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  • Developmental exposure to doses as low as 2.5 μg/kg bw sex specifically alters the mRNA expression of ERα and ERβ in sexually dimorphic hypothalamic and limbic subnuclei in the neonatal and older rat brain.

    “For example, we have repeatedly shown that developmental exposure to doses as low as 2.5 µg/kg bw sex specifically alters the mRNA expression of ERα and ERβ in sexually dimorphic hypothalamic and limbic subnuclei in the neonatal and older rat brain (86–90).”

    From Endocrine Disruption of Vasopressin Systems and Related Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as [88]

    The section ‘Effect of prenatal BPA or EE exposure on hypothalamic gene expression’ reports that 2.5 µg/kg BPA increased both Esr1 (ERα) and Esr2 (ERβ) expression in neonatal females, but not males. The Abstract describes a prior study finding sex-dependent changes in hypothalamic and amygdala subregions on postnatal day 1. This paper’s own measurements used the whole hypothalamus rather than individual subnuclei, and it does not establish the claimed effects in older rats. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Developmental BPA exposure can perturb ERα and ERβ gene expression throughout the rat hypothalamus and components of the mesolimbic dopamine system, including the PVN and BnST, across the lifespan.

    “We have repeatedly shown that developmental BPA exposure can perturb ERα and ERβ gene expression throughout the rat hypothalamus and components of the mesolimbic dopamine system, including the PVN and BnST (86–90), across the lifespan.”

    From Endocrine Disruption of Vasopressin Systems and Related Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as [88]

    The Discussion (page not available in our copy) reports BPA-related changes in Esr1 and Esr2 expression in neonatal rat hypothalamus, with effects varying by subregion. It does not establish ERα and ERβ changes across the lifespan or in the BnST. Its mention of the adult PVN concerns oxytocin neurons, not ER gene expression. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. EFSA. Panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing acids (CEF). EFSA J. 2015;13:3978.
  2. McCarthy MM, Auger AP, Bale TL, et al. The epigenetics of sex differences in the brain. J Neurosci. 2009;29:12815-12823.

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Authors
Arambula, S. E., Belcher, S. M., Planchart, A., Turner, S. D., & Patisaul, H. B.
Affiliations
  • North Carolina State University (US)
  • University of Virginia (US)
Corresponding author
Patisaul, Heather B.
Venue
Endocrinology
Published
2016-08-29
Volume
157
Issue
10
Pages
3856-3872
ISSN
  • 0013-7227 (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-7170
OpenAlex
W2516280552
Cited by
87
References
109
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 1
FWCI
9.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Endocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • North Carolina State University
  • Directorate for Biological Sciences
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (U01ES020929, U011ES020929, AES12013, P30ES025128)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
Keywords
bisphenol A, endocrine disruptors, prenatal exposure, neonatal brain development, hypothalamus, hippocampus, transcriptome, estrogen receptor, sex differences, oxytocin, ethinyl estradiol, low-dose exposure, gene expression, developmental neurotoxicity, Sprague-Dawley rats, microdissection, RNA sequencing
MeSH terms
Bisphenol A Compounds, Administration, Oral, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Benzhydryl Compounds, Estrogens, Non-Steroidal, Female, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Male, Phenols, Random Allocation, Sex Characteristics, Gene Expression, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats, Transcriptome

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