Effect of Gestational Exposure to Bisphenol A on Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in the Neonatal Rat Brain.
- Author:
Hye Sung AN
1
;
Jong Min KIM
;
Kyu Geun HWANG
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Dong-A University Medical School, Busan, Korea. kghyang@dau.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Bisphenol A;
Exposed pregnant rat;
Infant brain;
Astocyte;
Proliferation;
Differentiation;
Neuronal cell
- MeSH:
Animals;
Blotting, Western;
Brain*;
Cell Proliferation*;
Central Nervous System;
Cerebral Cortex;
Estrogens;
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein;
Humans;
Immune System;
Immunohistochemistry;
Infant;
Neurogenesis;
Parturition;
Plastics;
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen;
Rats*;
Receptors, Estrogen
- From:
Journal of the Korean Child Neurology Society
2013;21(4):219-230
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: Bisphenol A (BPA), a plasticizer, shows estrogenic activity at low concentrations in cells expressing estrogen receptors, and therefore, it is classified as an endocrine disruptor. Although many studies have focused on the toxicity of BPA to the reproductive and immune systems, relatively less attention has been given to the effect of BPA on the central nervous system. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in cell proliferation and differentiation during infant brain development in BPA-exposed pregnant rats. METHODS: Two different doses of BPA were exposed to pregnant rats: (1) a low dose (0.01 mg/kg-bw/day) and (2) a high dose (1 mg/kg-bw/day). Infant brains were excised at days 3, 7, and 14 after birth, and tissues were processed for histological and biochemical analyses. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) showed that although cells in the cerebral cortex at days 3 and 7 after birth were highly proliferating, the cells at day 14 divided less often. Immunopositive cells for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were observed from days 7 to 14 in control tissues. Western blotting clearly showed that exposure to BPA in pregnant rats resulted in increased GFAP protein expression in the infant rat brain compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: Exposure to BPA during the gestational period might result in precocious neurogenesis in the infant rat brain.
