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Probable gamma-aminobutyric acid involvement in bisphenol A effect at the hypothalamic level in adult male rats

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the neuroendocrine mechanism of control of the reproductive axis in adult male rats exposed to it during pre- and early postnatal periods. 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 2.5 mg/kg body weight per day of BPA. After 21 days, the pups were separated from the mother and sacrificed on 70 day of life. Gn-RH and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from hypothalamic fragments was measured. LH, FSH, and testosterone concentrations were determined, and histological and morphometrical studies of testis were performed. Gn-RH release decreased significantly, while GABA serum levels were markedly increased by treatment. LH serum levels showed no changes, and FSH and testosterone levels decreased significantly. Histological studies showed abnormalities in the tubular organization of the germinal epithelium. The cytoarchitecture of germinal cells was apparently normal, and a reduction of the nuclear area of Leydig cells but not their number was observed. Taken all together, these results provide evidence of the effect caused by BPA on the adult male reproductive axis when exposed during pre- and postnatal period. Moreover, our findings suggest a probable GABA involvement in its effect at the hypothalamic level.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the University of Buenos Aires (UBACYT M434- M006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Endocrinología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paraguay 2155, Piso 7, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Nancy Cardoso, Justina Lavalle, Silvia Carbone, Osvaldo Ponzo, Pablo Scacchi & Roxana Reynoso

  2. CONICET, Paraguay 2155, Piso 7, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Silvia Carbone & Pablo Scacchi

  3. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón 2 Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Matías Pandolfi

  4. Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Av. Moreau de Justo 1500, Edificio San Alberto Magno, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Pablo Scacchi

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  1. Nancy Cardoso
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Correspondence to Roxana Reynoso.

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Cardoso, N., Pandolfi, M., Lavalle, J. et al. Probable gamma-aminobutyric acid involvement in bisphenol A effect at the hypothalamic level in adult male rats. J Physiol Biochem 67, 559–567 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-011-0102-6

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