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Prenatal exposure to low doses of bisphenol A increases pituitary proliferation and gonadotroph number in female mice offspring at birth.
- Source :
-
Biology of reproduction [Biol Reprod] 2012 Oct 11; Vol. 87 (4), pp. 82. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Oct 11 (Print Publication: 2012). - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- The pituitary gland is composed of hormone-producing cells essential for homeostasis and reproduction. Pituitary cells are sensitive to endocrine feedback in the adult and can have altered hormonal secretion from exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a prevalent plasticizer used in food and beverage containers, leading to widespread human exposure. Although prenatal exposure to BPA can impact reproductive function in the adult, the effects of BPA on the developing pituitary are unknown. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to low doses of BPA impacts gonadotroph cell number or parameters of hormone synthesis. To test this, pregnant mice were administered 0.5 μg/kg/day of BPA, 50 μg/kg/day of BPA, or vehicle beginning on Embryonic Day 10.5. At parturition, pituitaries from female offspring exposed in utero to either dose of BPA had increased proliferation, as assessed by mKi67 mRNA levels and immunohistochemistry. Coincidently, gonadotroph number also increased in treated females. However, we observed a dichotomy between mRNA levels of Lhb and Fshb. Female mice exposed to 0.5 μg/kg/day BPA had increased mRNA levels of gonadotropins and the gonadotropin-receptor hormone (GNRH) receptor (Gnrhr), which mediates GNRH regulation of gonadotropin production and release. In contrast, mice treated with 50 μg/kg/day of BPA had decreased gonadotropin mRNA levels, Gnrhr and Nr5a1, a transcription factor required for gonadotroph differentiation. No other pituitary hormones were altered on the day of birth in response to in utero BPA exposure, and male pituitaries showed no change in the parameters tested. Collectively, these results show that prenatal exposure to BPA affects pituitary gonadotroph development in females.
- Subjects :
- Air Pollutants, Occupational pharmacology
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Benzhydryl Compounds administration & dosage
Cell Count
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Female
Gonadotrophs cytology
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Parturition drug effects
Parturition physiology
Phenols administration & dosage
Pituitary Gland cytology
Pituitary Gland physiology
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects physiopathology
Benzhydryl Compounds pharmacology
Cell Proliferation drug effects
Gonadotrophs drug effects
Phenols pharmacology
Pituitary Gland drug effects
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects chemically induced
Sex Characteristics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1529-7268
- Volume :
- 87
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Biology of reproduction
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 22875908
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.112.100636