General Health of Pregnant Sprague-Dawley Rats and Neonates’ Small Intestine Morphology Upon Maternal Bisphenol A Exposure: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Associations between xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) and multiple types of diseases, including metabolic syndrome, have been recorded in various studies. However, certain subsets of the human population are particularly more vulnerable to BPA repercussions, such as pregnant women, neonates, and children. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of BPA exposure during pregnancy on the general health of mothers and the histopathology of neonates’ small intestines. Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: control, vehicle Tween-80, and 5mg/kg/day BPA after positive mating was confirmed. Physiological parameters consisted of body weight, waist circumference, water, and food intake, and blood pressures were measured at pregnancy day -1 or 2, 7, and 14 to see whether BPA exposure could exert obesogenic impacts on pregnant rats. Newborns were sacrificed to collect blood plasma for BPA analysis and intestinal samples for histopathological examination. Maternal BPA exposure did not affect the physiological parameters of pregnant rats. The number of pups delivered per litter and the sex ratio of BPA offsprings was not significantly different to those of control and vehicle groups (p>0.05). Likewise, the small intestine morphology of BPA neonates was comparable to those of controls and vehicles (preserved structure and absence of inflammatory cells infiltration). The nonsignificant difference in plasma BPA levels of control and BPA-exposed mothers and neonates may explain these findings. Future longitudinal studies which include the dose-dependent impacts of BPA on pregnant mothers’ health and neonates’ small intestine would be more beneficial.