A second hit by PFOS exposure exacerbated developmental defects in medaka embryos with a history of ancestral BPA exposure

Abstract

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a known endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) in plastics and resins, has been found to induce heritable health effects in fish and mammals, affecting directly exposed individuals and indirectly their progenies in subsequent generations. It is not clearly understood if subsequent generations of the BPA-exposed ancestors have increased sensitivity to the second hit by the chemicals of emerging concern. To understand this, the present study examined the effects of developmental exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), which has been a global contaminant recently, in embryos whose ancestors were exposed to BPA. Two lineages of medaka (Oryzias latipes) were established: 1) the BPA lineage in which the F0 generation was exposed to 10 μg/L BPA during early development and 2) the control lineage with no BPA exposure in the F0 generation. These lineages were raised up to the F4 generation without further exposure. The embryos of the F4 generation were exposed to PFOS at 0, 0.002, 0.02, 0.2, 2, and 20 mg/L concentrations. Early developmental defects resulting in mortality, delayed hatching, teratogenic phenotypes, and altered gene expression were examined in both lineages. The expression level of genes encoding DNA methyltransferases and genes responsible for oxidative stress defense were determined. Following environmentally relevant PFOS exposure, organisms with a history of BPA exposure displayed significant changes in all categories of developmental defects mentioned above, including increased expression of genes related to oxidative stress, compared to individuals without BPA exposure. The present study provides initial evidence that a history of ancestral BPA exposure can alter sensitivity to developmental disorders following the second hit by PFOS exposure. The variable of ancestral BPA exposure could be considered in mechanistic, medical, and regulatory toxicology, and can also be applied to holistic environmental equity research.