Exposures of male rats to environmental chemicals [bisphenol A and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate] affected expression of several proteins in the developing epididymis.

Hormonally active agents are released into the environment from industrial and manufacturing activity. Evidence in the literature indicates that impaired reproductive capacity in wildlife and laboratory species is associated with chemical exposures. In particular, bisphenol A (BPA) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) have generated public interest due to their presence in several consumer products. In this study, we determined that expression of steroid hormone receptors (estrogen and androgen receptors), Wnt4, and β-catenin was greater (p < 0.05) in the rat epididymis at 35 days of age compared to 21 and 90 days. Second, timed-pregnant Long-Evans dams were exposed to the chemicals BPA and DEHP by gavage from gestational days 12-21. The caput epididymis was collected from cohorts of male offspring at 35 and 90 days of age and processed for Western blot analysis. Results showed that prenatal BPA and DEHP exposures affected (p < 0.05) expression of estrogen and androgen receptor, Wnt4, β-catenin, MAPK, and HOXD4 protein in the epididymis. Data have implications for morphological development of the epididymis, a possibility that would be explored in future studies.