Effect of bisphenol Z and its analogs on reproductive health of C. elegans

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic synthetic molecule used in thousands of different plastic‐based products throughout the world. Over the years BPA has been repeatedly linked to neurobehavioral, cardiovascular and reproductive disorders. Because of growing human health concerns, BPA has been increasingly replaced by structurally similar chemicals such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol Z (BPZ). In recent years, some of these analogs have been under scrutiny by scientists whose research uncovered adverse health effects in model organisms. Whereas numerous studies suggest that BPS may be as toxic as BPA, the impact of BPZ is less understood. To assess its toxicity, we exposed the nematode C. elegans to BPZ at a final concentration of 1 mM throughout their development (from eggs to adulthood). Following exposure, we observed a marked reduction in the brood size compared to the wild type. Moreover, the BPZ‐exposed gonads showed a significant increase in the number of apoptotic nuclei. In the search for potentially safer alternatives, we synthesized three novel analogs of BPZ. Interestingly, these compounds exhibited even stronger effect on the reproductive ability of C. elegans. Our findings suggest that, similar to BPA and BPS, exposure to BPZ and its analogs results in reproductive toxicity.Support or Funding InformationDepartment of Natural Sciences, Lawrence Technological University.