Changes Caused by Low Doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the Neuro-Chemistry of Nerves Located in the Porcine Heart

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) contained in plastics used in the production of various everyday objects may leach from these items and contaminate food, water and air. As an endocrine disruptor, BPA negatively affects many internal organs and systems. Exposure to BPA also contributes to heart and cardiovascular system dysfunction, but many aspects connected with this activity remain unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of BPA in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg body weight/day (in many countries such a dose is regarded as a tolerable daily intake–TDI dose of BPA–completely safe for living organisms) on the neurochemical characterization of nerves located in the heart wall using the immunofluorescence technique. The obtained results indicate that BPA (even in such a relatively low dose) increases the number of nerves immunoreactive to neuropeptide Y, substance P and tyrosine hydroxylase (used here as a marker of sympathetic innervation). However, BPA did not change the number of nerves immunoreactive to vesicular acetylcholine transporter (used here as a marker of cholinergic structures). These observations suggest that changes in the heart innervation may be at the root of BPA-induced circulatory disturbances, as well as arrhythmogenic and/or proinflammatory effects of this endocrine disruptor. Moreover, changes in the neurochemical characterization of nerves in the heart wall may be the first sign of exposure to BPA.

Evaluation of Parabens and Bisphenol A Concentration Levels in Wild Bat Guano Samples

“…However, considering such experimental studies [43,44,93,94], it can be assumed that doses of parabens and BPA to which bats are exposed may be from a few to even several dozen times higher than the concentration of these substances in the guano samples. In the light of previous experimental studies conducted on other mammal species, such doses of parabens and BPA, due to their endocrine disrupting properties may, influence on the reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems, as well as on the immune cells [95][96][97][98][99]. However, it must be remembered that natural environment significantly differs from experimental conditions.…”

Deciphering the molecular mechanism of NLRP3 in BPA-mediated toxicity: Implications for targeted therapies

“…Estrogen, a pivotal hormone in human physiology, plays a vital role in cardioprotection, as corroborated by Iorga et al (2017) [ 35 ]. BPA-induced perturbations extend to the cardiovascular system, manifesting in alterations of heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiographic parameters, alongside disturbances in cardiac cellular function [ 36 ]. These disturbances stem from intricate intracellular mechanisms orchestrated by BPA, including inhibition of primary ion channels, perturbations in Ca 2+ handling, induction of oxidative stress, and the initiation of epigenetic modifications [ 37 ].…”