WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY:The few epidemiologic studies performed suggest that bisphenols have potential endocrine disruptive properties, but they did not identify clear and direct patterns of endocrine disruption.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION:Adult human testis explants in culture were exposed to BPA and the analogs bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol B (BPB), and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) at 10 -9 to 10 -5 M for 24 h or 48h.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Human adult testes were obtained from prostate cancer patients who had no hormone therapy, or from multiorgan donors. After ex vivo exposure to the investigated bisphenols, the measured outcomes were related to histopathology (gross morphology and germ cell viability determined by anti-caspase 3 immunohistochemistry), and the levels of testosterone, insulin-like fator 3 and inhibin B were measured using immunoassays. The levels of mRNA encoding key enzymes of bisphenol biotransformation were investigated by quantitative PCR: UGT2B15 UDP (glucuronosyltransferase two family, polypeptide B15), GUSB (glucuronidase beta), SULT1A1 and 3 (sulfotransferase family 1 A member 1 and 3) and STS (steroid sulfatase).
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A significant dose-dependent inhibition wasfound between testosterone levels measured in the culture medium and concentrations of BPA The active concentrations of BPA and BPA-A used in the study were higher than those found in human biological fluids.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS:Under our experimental conditions, direct exposure to BPA or BPA-A can result in endocrine disturbance in the adult human testis.