Low dose of bisphenol A impairs the reproductive axis of prepuberal male rats
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Low dose of bisphenol A impairs the reproductive axis of prepuberal male rats Juan Manuel Gámez & Romina Penalba & Nancy Cardoso & Osvaldo Ponzo & Silvia Carbone & Matías Pandolfi & Pablo Scacchi & Roxana Reynoso
Received: 13 May 2013 / Accepted: 21 October 2013 / Published online: 24 November 2013 # University of Navarra 2013
Abstract The objective of the present work was to study the effect of a low dose of bisphenol A (BPA), on the reproductive axis of prepuberal male rats exposed to the endocrine disruptor (ED) during gestation and lactation period. Wistar-mated rats were treated with either 0.1 % ethanol or BPA in their drinking water until their offspring were weaned at the age of 21 days. The estimated average dose of exposure to dams was approximately 3 μg/kg/day of BPA. The pups were sacrificed on the 35th day of life. Body weight was measured during the development and at the moment of the sacrifice; testicular and seminal vesicles weight and their respective relative weights were also measured. LH, FSH and testosterone were determined and histological studies of testicular tissue were also performed. Body weight at the moment of the sacrifice was significantly higher in the group exposed to BPA; J. M. Gámez : R. Penalba : N. Cardoso : O. Ponzo : S. Carbone : R. Reynoso (*) Laboratory of Endocrinology, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina e-mail: [email protected] P. Scacchi : R. Reynoso Department of Teaching and Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina M. Pandolfi Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology and Behavior, Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
testicular weight decreased significantly; seminal vesicles weight and relative weights of testes and seminal vesicles were not modified by treatment. LH and FSH serum levels increased significantly after treatment, meanwhile testosterone showed no significant changes. Histological studies showed the lumen of seminal tubes reduced by the presence of immature cells of the spermatic lineage. Our results suggest that pre- and early postnatal exposure to a low dose of BPA disrupts the normal function of the reproductive axis in prepuberal male rats. The effects of the ED may be exerted at different levels of the axis and may be dependent on the dose, manner of administration, and the moment of exposure to the disruptor. Keywords Bisphenol A . Reproductive axis . Prepuberal male rats
Introduction Endocrine disruptors (EDs) have been defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency as: exogenous agents that interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action or elimination of natural hormones in the body responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction and development and/or behaviour [15]. Available data suggests that EDs have the ability to impact on different levels of the reproductive
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