Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), the most common endocrine-disrupting chemical, has been associated with male reproductive dysfunctions. Recently, it has been shown that BPA may also affect miRNAs expression. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the association of BPA levels with steroid hormone concentration and circulating miRNAs levels to investigate the potential direct effect of BPA on homeostasis in the testis environment. The level of BPA in the seminal plasma of azoospermic men was significantly higher compared to the healthy control. The concentrations of estradiol (E2) and androstenedione (A) were significantly decreased in the seminal plasma of azoospermic men compared to the normospermic men. The levels of miR-let-7a, miR-let-7b, and miR-let-7c were significantly up-regulated, and the level of miR-518f was significantly down-regulated in the seminal plasma of the azoospermic men compared to the healthy control. The level of BPA correlated negatively with sperm concentration and normal semen morphology. A significant positive correlation was found between BPA levels and miR-let-7a and miR-let-7c levels, whereas BPA negatively correlated with miR-518f levels. Our results suggest that BPA may negatively affect sperm quality. Moreover, BPA correlated with the miR-let-7a, miR-let-7c, and miR-518f levels in seminal plasma, which suggests that BPA may act directly in seminal plasma, affecting the testicular environment.

Highlights

  • Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most common industrial plasticizer classified as an endocrine disrupting-chemical (EDC) [1]

  • The level of BPA in the seminal plasma was significantly higher in the group of men with azoospermia compared to the control group of healthy men (Figure 1)

  • No difference in seminal plasma BPA levels was observed between the group of men with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia compared to the control (Figure 1)

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Summary

Introduction

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most common industrial plasticizer classified as an endocrine disrupting-chemical (EDC) [1]. Exposure to BPA has been shown to have a negative impact on human health, including male reproduction and fertility [7,9,10]. Studies evaluating the effects of BPA on sperm quality parameters and/or sex hormone levels have been inconsistent [7,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]. BPA action is not limited to hormonal receptors, but it can induce several epigenetic modifications in both animals and humans through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and the alteration of microRNA (miRNA) levels [26,27]

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