A substitute for the commonly used plasticizing chemical bisphenol A (BPA) shows similar endocrine disruption effects upon developmental exposure in mice, according to a study. As the interface between mother and fetus, the placenta is sensitive to endocrine-disrupting substances such as BPA. R. Michael Roberts, Geetu Tuteja, Cheryl S. Rosenfeld, and colleagues compared the effects of BPA and bisphenol S (BPS), a potential substitute plasticizer, on placental development and gene expression during midpregnancy in mice. The authors fed female mice either BPA or BPS for 2 weeks prior to conception and during pregnancy. The low dose amounts approximated average human blood concentrations. Midway through pregnancy, the authors analyzed the developing placenta from mice in each group and compared these with unexposed controls. Mice treated with BPA and BPS showed changes in expression of a set of 13 genes. In addition, both BPA and BPS similarly affected concentrations of two neurotransmitters in the placenta. Compared with controls, serotonin decreased and dopamine increased in specific trophoblast cells, a result the authors suggest may explain differences in cell type distribution in treated mouse placentas. According to the authors, despite some differences in human and mouse placentas, the findings suggest that BPS should be considered as toxic as BPA.
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Article #19-19563: "Bisphenol A and bisphenol S disruptions of the mouse placenta and potential effects on the placenta-brain axis," by Jiude Mao et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cheryl S. Rosenfeld, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; tel: 573-882-5132; e-mail: rosenfeldc@missouri.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences