Effects of oral exposure of bisphenol A on mRNA expression of nuclear receptors in murine placentae assessed by DNA microarray

Bisphenol A (BPA), a candidate endocrine disruptor (ED), is considered to bind to estrogen receptors and to regulate expressions of estrogen responsive genes. It has also shown evidence of affecting the reproductive, immunological and nervous systems of mammalian embryos. However, the effects of BPA on placentae, a central organ of feto-maternal interlocution, are still unclear. To reveal the mechanisms of BPA effects on placentae in mammals, we compared the mRNA expression of 20 nuclear receptors between placentae of vehicle controls and those of orally BPA exposed pregnant mice by a DNA microarray technique. In murine placentae, mRNAs of 11 nuclear receptors were not detected. However, greater than 1.5 fold changes in mRNA expression of nine nuclear receptors between vehicle control and BPA treated mice were noted. Moreover, remarkable changes in mRNA expression of six non-nuclear receptor proteins were induced by BPA exposure. There were various differences in the effects of BPA on the expression of these mRNAs between the placentae with male embryos and those with female embryos. Such embryo-sex dependent differences are interesting and important pointers to understanding of the endocrine disrupting effect of BPA. The present data indicate that BPA affects the expression of nuclear receptor mRNAs in placentae and may disrupt the physiological functions of placentae.     

Effects of in utero exposure to nonsteroidal estrogens on mouse testis.

Male mice exposed in utero to alpha-zearalanol (zeranol) or diethylstilbestrol (DES) were analyzed postnatally to evaluate the possible changes on their testicular morphology as part of an examination of the effects of transplacental exposure to non-steroidal estrogens on sensitive tissues. Pregnant NMRI mice were injected subcutaneously with ethyl oleate (0.1 mL) alone (negative control) or with 150 micrograms/kg of body weight of zeranol or DES (positive control) on days 9 and 10 of gestation. Experimental and control male offspring were euthanized at days 45 (n = 47), 90 (n = 44), 180 (n = 40) and 365 (n = 26) after birth and their gonads were examined by light and electron microscopy. The results suggested that prenatal zeranol or DES exposure induced more severe and earlier (at 45 d) testicular abnormalities than in negative control (at 6 mo). These age-related alterations were characterized by regressive changes in the germinal epithelium and Sertoli's cells as well as foci of Leydig's cells around atrophied seminiferous tubules and dysplasia of the rete testis epithelium. On the contrary, the presence of Leydig's cells with immature morphology and their arrangement in sheet could be attributable exclusively to estrogen treatment. The presence of no neoplasm was confirmed.     

Effects of maternal diet and exposure to bisphenol A on sexually dimorphic responses in conceptuses and offspring

Whereas sexual differentiation is considered as the onset of differentiation of the male or female gonads, mounting evidence indicates that sex differences in developmental programming are established as early as the zygotic stage. Genetic and epigenetic differences between the sexes might govern how each responds to shifts in their early environment, including in the uterus or culture dish, as in the case of in vitro cultured pre-implantational embryos. Even if no differences are evident between the sexes at birth, divergent conceptus responses to surrounding changes, such as maternal diet and exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), such as bisphenol A (BPA), might predispose one sex over the other to later adult-onset diseases, otherwise termed developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD). Overall, males subjected to less than optimal in utero conditions tend to be at greater risk for various diseases, including neurobehavioural disorders. As the placenta is the primary nutrient acquisition and communication organ between the dam and foetus, its ability to adapt rapidly to environmental shifts might buffer the conceptus against environmental insults. The placenta of one sex over the other might possess greater ability to respond to environmental fluctuations. In utero environmental changes, including maternal nutrient excess or reduction or exposure to the EDC, BPA, might govern sex-dependent behavioural alterations. In sum, this review examines the evidence to date that male and female zygotes and conceptuses diverge in their responses to shifting environmental conditions and whether these contrasting sexually dimorphic responses underpin later DOHaD outcomes, namely neurobehavioural changes.     

Extended exposure to trichostatin A after activation alters the expression of genes important for early development in nuclear transfer murine embryos

The low viability of embryos reconstructed by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is believed to be associated with epigenetic modification errors, and reduction of those errors may improve the viability of SCNT embryos. The present study shows the effect of trichostatin A (TSA), a strong inhibitor of histone deacetylase, on the development of murine SCNT embryos. After enucleation and nuclear injection, reconstructed murine oocytes were activated with or without TSA for 6 hr (TSA-6 hr). After activation, TSA treatment was extended to 3 hr (TSA-9 hr), 5 hr (TSA-11 hr) and 18 hr (TSA-24 hr) during culture. As a result, the SCNT embryos in the TSA-11 hr group showed a remarkably higher blastocyst rate (21.1%) when compared with the nontreated embryos (3.4%), while the concentration of TSA did not significantly affect embryonic development. The expressions of histone deacetylase (HDAC1 and HDAC2) and DNA methylation (DNMT3a and DNMT3b) genes decreased in the TSA-11 hr and TSA-24 hr groups, while there was an increase in the expression of histone acetyltransferase (P300 and CBP), pluripotency (OCT4 and NANOG) and embryonic growth/trophectoderm formation (FGF4)-related genes in the same groups. The expression of CDX2, a critical gene for trophectoderm formation was upregulated only in the TSA-24 hr group. Our results show that TSA treatment during the peri- and postactivation period improves the development of reconstructed murine embryos, and this observation may be explained by enhanced epigenetic modification of somatic cells caused by TSA-induced hyperacetylation, demethylation and upregulation of pluripotency and embryonic growth after SCNT.     

Effects of retinoic acid exposure in utero on mouse vibrissal follicle development

It is known that topical all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) modulates growth and differentiation of skin and its cutaneous appendages. To examine whether a pre-natal exposure to a potentially non-teratogenic dosage of all-trans-RA had any effect on vibrissal follicle development, the histologic and immunohistochemical responses to RA during its morphogenesis in NMRI mouse were investigated. After a single oral dose of 30 mg/kg body weight of all-trans-RA on day 11.5 of gestation, no fetal malformations were detected and the histological features and the distribution of keratin (K) proteins in comparable stages of vibrissal development were similar for the untreated, vehicle-treated and RA-treated mice. The absence of teratogenic response and of adverse effects on the vibrissae under the experimental conditions indicates that this protocol may be useful for investigation of the effects of pre-natal exposure to RA on the post-natal development of experimental tumours in the mouse skin.     

Effects of in utero retinoic acid exposure on mouse pelage hair follicle development

Abstract We investigated in vivo the histological and immunohistochemical responses of mouse hair pelage follicle morphogenesis to prenatal exposure to a potentially nonteratogenic dose of all- trans -retinoic acid (RA), as a basis studying the preventive effect of RA on adult mouse skin carcinogenesis. In pregnant mice, a single oral dose of RA at 30 mg kg⁻¹ body weight given on day 11.5 of gestation caused no RA-induced changes in the morphology or temporal expression patterns of keratins during pelage hair follicle morphogenesis. The only differential effect of RA was a statistically significant increase in the number of BrdU-positive nuclei in hair bulbs from RA exposed fetuses compared with nonexposed mice. The absence of adverse RA effects suggests that this experimental design may represent a valuable protocol for use in studies on the in vivo effects of this retinoid on different skin diseases.     

母子两代连续双酚A暴露对子鼠睾丸发育的影响

双酚A(BPA)是一种无处不在的环境雌激素,长期暴露或接触会影响动物的生殖功能。为了探究持续低剂量暴露BPA对雄鼠生殖器官和功能的影响,将妊娠0 d孕鼠随机分为7组,每组20只,分别为空白对照组,0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,5.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,20.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组, 50.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组。自母鼠怀孕0 d起持续饮水染毒BPA至哺乳期结束,仔鼠21 d断奶后直接以继续饮水染毒至45日龄性成熟期,共染毒63 d。子代雄鼠于45 d处死。结果显示,染毒BPA剂量大于等于10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)时雄鼠血清BPA含量显著高于空白对照组(P<0.05),染毒BPA剂量大于等于20.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)时睾丸组织BPA含量显著高于空白对照组(P<0.05)。H&E染色和睾丸器官指数测定结果显示染毒BPA剂量10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上导致睾丸生精小管萎缩,小管间隙变大,50.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上导致子代雄鼠睾丸指数显著增大(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸精子活力与密度相较于空白对照组均显著减少(P<0.05),而各染毒组精子畸形率均显著大于空白对照组(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸生殖细胞核DNA损伤显著大于空白对照组(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸雄激素受体(AR)表达量显著减少(P<0.05)。转录组测序结果显示染毒BPA可导致雄鼠睾丸剪切体U1亚基蛋白质C合成基因Snrpc和剪切体通用载体组件编码基因Hnrnpu均显著下调,使得mRNA的转录后修饰第一步即无法进行,剪切体功能受阻可能是BPA影响睾丸发育的重要原因。荧光定量PCR证实了转录组结果,并进一步证明了Hnrnpu对BPA的敏感性大于Snrpc。     

妊娠期母鼠暴露BPA对子代断乳雌鼠生殖激素水平与受体含量以及卵巢DNA甲基化的影响

为探究母鼠妊娠期暴露双酚A(bisphenol A,BPA)对子代雌鼠生殖激素的影响及BPA与机体发生作用的分子机制。通过灌服不同剂量的BPA制造孕鼠BPA暴露模型,然后计算子代小鼠断乳时的死亡率、卵巢与子宫系数;放射免疫法检测血清中雌二醇(E_2)、孕酮(P_4)、卵泡刺激素(FSH)、黄体生成素(LH)水平;酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测血清雌激素受体α(ERα)、雌激素受体β(ERβ)含量;qPCR法检测卵巢DNA甲基转移酶1(Dnmt1),DNA甲基转移酶3A(Dnmt3A),DNA甲基转移酶3B(Dnmt3B),孕酮受体(PgR)及雌激素受体α(EsR1)mRNA表达。结果显示,子代雌鼠的相关指标与母鼠妊娠期BPA暴露存在非单调性剂量-反应关系;卵巢系数、E_2含量与BPA剂量呈现"U"型关系;子宫系数,血清P_4、FSH、LH水平,卵巢ERβ含量,卵巢Dnmt1、 Dnmt3A、 Dnmt3B mRNA相对转录水平与BPA剂量呈现"波浪式"关系;卵巢PgR、EsR1 mRNA相对转录水平与BPA剂量呈现"倒U"型关系;且BPA暴露组与空白组相比有极显著差异(P0.01)。这表明BPA可能通过增强子代雌鼠DNA甲基化酶的转录活性使生殖激素分泌紊乱,造成子代生殖损伤。     

In vivo long-term effects of retinoic acid exposure in utero on induced hyperplastic epidermal foci in murine skin

Adult Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice, after prenatal exposure to retinoic acid (RA), were treated with a standard two-stage skin carcinogenesis regime to characterize hyperplastic epidermal foci that precede the appearance of cutaneous papillomas, and to investigate the in vivo long-term action of RA on adult mouse skin treated with DMBA (7,12 dimethyl benz[a]anthracene) and TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate). The results demonstrate that RA administered to pregnant mice had a long-term inhibitory action on the cell differentiation and development of hyperplastic lesions occurring prior to cancer on the adult skin of their offspring as well as a stimulatory effect on cell proliferation of these hyperplastic lesions.     

慢性砷暴露对雌鼠乳腺组织ER mRNA和PR mRNA表达的影响

建立慢性砷暴露小鼠动物模型,通过实时定量PCR方法检测慢性砷暴露小鼠乳腺组织中ER、PR mRNA表达量。结果显示,(1)对照组mRNA表达量ER为0.0025±0.0011、PR为0.0190±0.0150;(2)0.05mg/L组ER为0.0085±0.0080、PR为0.0470±0.0180;(3)0.1mg/L组ER为0.0027±0.0003、PR为0.0210±0.0200;(4)0.2mg/L组ER为0.0037±0.0025、PR为0.0390±0.0130;(5)0.4mg/L组ER为0.0029±0.0018、PR为0.0072±0.0031。与对照组比较,各组砷暴露小鼠ER表达均升高,其中0.05mg/L组ER表达差异显著(P0.05);除0.4mg/L组表达降低外,其他各暴露组PR表达也升高,0.05mg/L组PR表达差异极显著(P0.01);0.2mg/L组的PR表达差异显著(P0.05)。结果表明,慢性砷暴露小鼠乳腺组织中ER、PR表达量较对照组发生改变,可能作为一种环境内分泌干扰物发挥雌激素效应进而产生毒性作用。     

Vitamin D ameliorates liver pathology in mice caused by exposure to endocrine disruptor bisphenol A

Background:Increasing evidence suggests that bisphenol A (BPA) induces liver pathological changes. Further, an association between BPA and circulating vitamin D (VitD) levels were documented.Aim:The role of VitD in BPA-induced liver pathological changes was explored in this study.Methods:Healthy 4.5-week-old male (n = 35) and female (n = 35) Swiss albino mice were used in this study. The animals were randomly divided into control and treated groups. The control groups were further divided into sham (no treatment) and vehicle (corn oil), whereas the treated groups were also divided into VitD (2195 U/kg), BPA (50 μg/kg), and BPA + VitD (50 μg/kg + 2195 U/kg) groups. For 6 weeks (twice a week), the animals were dosed intraperitoneally. One week later (at 10.5-weeks-old), the animals were sacrificed for biochemical and histological analyses.Results:BPA produced a considerable rise in the body and liver weights in both genders of mice when compared to control mice. BPA also caused significant increases in the liver damage markers alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). It also induced liver histopathological changes, including higher apoptotic indices in both genders. On the other hand, treatment with VitD considerably reduced liver damage and slightly decreased the apoptotic index rate. The ALP, ALT, and GGT levels were also markedly reduced. VitD has been proven to have a protective effect on both genders.Conclusions:According to our findings, VitD protects mice from BPA-induced liver damage, possibly via suppressing liver damage markers.     

Effects of bisphenol A administration to pregnant mice on serum Ca and intestinal Ca absorption

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a xenoestrogen commonly used in food storage plastics. The present study was conducted to clarify the effects of BPA administration to pregnant mice on serum calcium (Ca) and Ca metabolism of the gut and kidney. From 6.5 to 16.5 days post coitus (dpc), pregnant mice were administered at 2 mg or 20 mg/kg body weight/day of BPA. Serum Ca was decreased in mice treated with 20 mg BPA at 17.5 dpc, but no remarkable differences were detected in the alkaline phosphatase activity and vitamin D receptor protein expression in the duodenum and jejunum. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of calcium binding protein (CaBP‐9k) and active vitamin D synthesis enzyme (CYP27B1) in the kidney were increased in mice treated with 20 mg BPA. The mRNA expressions of occludin and junction adherence molecular A (JAM‐A) in the duodenum and ileum, which regulate paracellular transport, were increased in mice treated with 20 mg BPA. However, the administration of 2 mg BPA had no effect on serum Ca and mRNA expressions of relative genes in Ca metabolism. These results imply that BPA administration at 20 mg/kg body weight/day during pregnancy decreases serum Ca in pre‐delivery mice, which may be partly due to decreased paracellular Ca absorption.     

Maternal exposure to bisphenol a during late pregnancy resulted in an increase of Calbindin-D9k mRNA and protein in maternal and postnatal rat uteri

It has been reported that Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) is rapidly and strongly induced by environmental estrogenic compounds, possibly through estrogen receptors (ERalpha) in the uterus of mammals. CaBP-9k can be evaluated as an early gene marker for assaying estrogenic effects of putative environmental chemicals in the rat uterus. This study was undertaken to investigate CaBP-9k mRNA and protein expression in the postnatal rat uterus following maternal exposure to 17beta-estradiol (E2) and bisphenol A (BPA) during the neonatal period. Treatment with a high dose of BPA (600 mg/kg body weight (BW) per day) resulted in a 3-fold increase in CaBP-9k mRNA expression for 3 days, while a single dose of E2 (40 microg/kg BW per day) induced 2-fold increase of this gene in the maternal uterus. In an agreement with maternal CaBP-9k mRNA, postnatal CaBP-9k mRNA in the uterus increased 4-fold when treated with BPA (600 mg/kg BW per day). In addition, treatment with increasing concentrations of BPA resulted in significant increases in CaBP-9k protein in the maternal rat uterus. It is of interest that increasing doses of BPA induced a significant ERalpha mRNA increase in the postnatal uterus. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry revealed that treatment with BPA induced CaBP-9k protein in the maternal uterus. We demonstrated that maternal exposure to BPA during late pregnancy induced CaBP-9k mRNA and protein in maternal and postnatal rat uteri. These results suggest that rapid absorption and distribution of environmental estrogenic compounds occurs in maternal and neonatal rat uteri and these chemicals can easily pass though the placenta during pregnancy to affect postnatal reproductive functions.     

NEFA和BHBA对体外培养的脂肪细胞HSL、ADPN mRNA表达的影响

在体外培养的牛脂肪组织和脂肪细胞中,分别添加5个浓度梯度的NEFA和BHBA,均设3个重复,通过荧光定量PCR技术,观测不同浓度的NEFA和BHBA对牛脂肪细胞ADPN mRNA与HSL mRNA丰度的影响。结果表明:NEFA在一定浓度范围内(0.2~0.8 nmol/L)对ADPN mRNA表达有显著促进作用并呈剂量依赖性,而高浓度(&gt;1.6 nmol/L)时又显著下调其表达;0.2~0.8 nmol/L NEFA对HSL mRNA的表达有抑制作用,呈剂量依赖性,但在高浓度时(&gt;0.8 nmol/L)反而促进了其表达(P&lt;0.05)。低浓度的BHBA对HSL mRNA的表达无显著抑制作用,高浓度(1.2 mmol/L)的BHBA显著下调HSL mRNA的表达,并呈剂量依赖性;低浓度(&lt;0.6mmol/L)的BHBA对ADPN mRNA的表达无明显作用,但高浓度的BHBA(&gt;0.6 mmol/L)对ADPN mRNA的表达具有明显的抑制作用(P&lt;0.05)。结论:代谢中间产物可通过促进ADPN mRNA或抑制HSL mRNA的表达来调节脂肪代谢。     

Calbindin-D9k mRNA expression in the rat uterus following exposure to methoxychlor: a comparison of oral and subcutaneous exposure

Calbindin-D(9k) (CaBP-9k) is a cytosolic calcium-binding protein that is induced by estrogenic compounds possibly through estrogen receptors. We compared CaBP-9k mRNA expression in the uterus with uterotrophic response in immature rats exposed to methoxychlor (MC), an environmental chemical with estrogenic activity. MC was orally or subcutaneously administered to 3-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats for 3 days. The weights of the uterus and vagina significantly increased in the oral treatment group at a dose of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, but those of the subcutaneous (SC) treatment group only increased at 200 mg/kg. Northern blot analysis showed that CaBP-9k mRNA expression was significantly induced in a dose-dependent manner at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day in the oral treatment group. SC administration of MC induced significant expression at only a dose of 200 mg/kg/day; this was similar to the uterotrophic response. MC has an estrogenic effect on the uterus as shown by the increase in weight and induction of CaBP-9k mRNA expression, which were much greater following exposure via oral gavage than via the SC route. The strong correlation between the results of in vivo uterotrophic assay and CaBP-9k mRNA expression suggests that CaBP-9k mRNA expression in the rat uterus may be used as an early gene marker for detection of the estrogenic effects of putative environmental chemicals.     

谷氨酰胺对断奶仔猪肝脏SOD、GSH-Px基因表达的影响

选用60头21日龄断奶杜长大仔猪,随机分为2组,每组设3个重复,每个重复10头。试验组在基础日粮中添加0.5%谷氨酰胺（Gln）分别于断奶后0、7、14d屠宰采样,采用相对定量RT-PCR方法检测添加Gln对仔猪肝脏中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）mRNA表达水平的影响。结果表明：断奶后7d,0.5%Gln试验组肝脏SOD酶活力比对照组低6.93%（P〉0.05）,GSH-Px酶活力比对照组高11.87%（P〈0.05）;断奶后14d,0.5%Gln组SOD酶活力比对照组低9.54%（P〉0.05）,GSH-Px酶活力比对照组高9.56%（P〈0.05）。与对照组相比,试验组SOD基因表达量减少,而GSH-Px增加。在断奶后7、14d,仔猪肝脏SODmRNA表达量分别降低了47.94%（P〉0.05）和77.02%（P〈0.05）;GSH-PxmRNA表达量分别提高了73.16%（P〈0.05）和28.27%（P〉0.05）。