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. 2018 Mar 30;80(3):536-543.
doi: 10.1292/jvms.17-0460. Epub 2018 Jan 25.

Late pregnancy is vulnerable period for exposure to BPA

Naoko Ohtani  1 , Koshi Suda  1 , Erika Tsuji  1 , Kentaro Tanemura  2 , Hiroshi Yokota  1 , Hiroki Inoue  1 , Hidetomo Iwano  1
Affiliations

Late pregnancy is vulnerable period for exposure to BPA

Naoko Ohtani et al. J Vet Med Sci. .

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is among the better-known endocrine disruptors. BPA is used in various food-contacting materials and is easily eluted into food; as a result, we are exposed to BPA on a daily basis. In adults, BPA is metabolized and eliminated rapidly from the body. However, numerous reports suggest that fetuses and young children are susceptible to BPA. One of the concerning adverse effects of BPA is disruption of behavior, especially anxiety-like behavior. In order to study the mechanism of influences on offspring, it is important to clarify the most vulnerable gestation period. We hypothesized that offspring in late pregnancy would be more susceptible to BPA, because late pregnancy is a critical time for functional brain development. In this study, C57BL/6 mouse fetuses were exposed prenatally by oral dosing of pregnant dams, once daily from gestational day 5.5 to 12.5 (early pregnancy) or 11.5 to 18.5 (late pregnancy), with BPA (0 or 10 mg/kg body weight). Following birth and weaning, the resulting pups were tested using an elevated plus maze at postnatal week 10. The behavior of the offspring was altered by prenatal BPA exposure during late pregnancy but not during early pregnancy. These results indicated that offspring are more vulnerable to exposure to BPA in late pregnancy.

Keywords: anxiety-like behavior; bisphenol A; endocrine disruptors; late pregnancy.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Schematic summary of the experimental procedure. Dams were administered orally with vehicle or BPA during (a) early pregnancy (dark gray arrowheads) or (b) late pregnancy (white arrowheads). Behavioral tests were performed at postnatal week (PW) 10 (light gray arrowheads).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Effects of BPA on locomotor activity of offspring in the elevated plus maze test (EPM). The parameter is the total distance moved (mean ± standard error [SE]). **P<0.01 compared with control.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Effects of BPA on anxiety-like behavior of offspring in the elevated plus maze test (EPM). The parameter is the percentage of the time spent in each arm for males (A) and females (B) (mean ± SE). *P<0.05 compared with control in the results for the open arm.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Effects of BPA on anxiety-like behavior of offspring in the elevated plus maze test (EPM). The parameter is the frequency of total entries in each arm for males (A) and females (B) (mean ± SE). *P<0.05 compared with control in the results for the open arm.
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