Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor compound with estrogenic activity, possessing affinity for both nuclear (ERα and ERβ) and membrane estrogen receptors. The main source of BPA exposure comes from the contamination of food and water by plastic storage containers or disposable bottles, among others, in which case BPA is easily ingested. Exposure to BPA during early pregnancy leads to lifelong effects; however, its effect on the immune system has not been fully studied. Since endocrine and immune systems interact in a bidirectional manner, the disruption of the former may cause permanent alterations of the latter, thus affecting a future anti-parasitic response. In this study, neonate BALB/c mice were exposed to a single dose of BPA (250 μg/kg); once sexual maturity was reached, they were orally infected with Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis). The analyses performed after 5 days of infection revealed a decreased parasitic load in the duodenum of mice in the BPA-treated group. Flow cytometry analyses also revealed changes in the immune cell subpopulations of the infected animals when compared to the BPA-treated group. RT-PCR analyses of duodenum samples showed an increased expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-9 in the BPA-treated group. These findings show a new aspect whereby early-life exposure to BPA contributes to the protection against T. spiralis by modulating the anti-parasitic immune response.
Highlights
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC’s) are highly lipophilic exogenous substances that bind to hormone receptors
Since Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor and infections are important factors altering the endocrine parameters of the host, it is important to discriminate whether its effects are due to the direct or indirect effects of neonatal endocrine disruption on the immune system or if it is caused by persistent hormonal alterations in the host
BPA sex-associated protective effect in trichinosis parasite was used in both studies, the results are not comparable. Following this line of thought, the present study showed that only a single dose of BPA administered during a critical developmental stage in mice prevents the intestinal establishment of the parasite through increased number of both cytotoxic immune cells and B lymphocytes
Summary
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC’s) are highly lipophilic exogenous substances that bind to hormone receptors. They are capable of interfering in the biosynthesis, storage, metabolism and function of various hormones in the exposed organisms as well as in their offspring. MSM has a Post-Doctoral fellowship from the Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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