Bisphenol A-Induced changes in the enteric nervous system of the porcine duodenum.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound from the phenolic group commonly used for the production of plastics. The use of BPA in food and drinking water containers carries a significant risk to human health since BPA can be washed out and enter consumables. BPA entering the human body with food shows a multi-directional effect and causes disorders in the functioning of many systems and organs. There is no current knowledge about the effects of BPA on the enteric nervous system. The purpose of the present study was to verify the influence of BPA on tolerable daily intake (TDI) dose (0.05 mg/kg body weight/day) and a dose ten times higher than TDI (0.5 mg/kg body weight/day) administered for 28 days on the porcine duodenum. The neurochemical characterization of the enteric neurons to five active neuronal substances was then investigated: substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), galanin (GAL), vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) or cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide (CART) with double immunofluorescence method. Both doses of BPA caused visible changes in duodenal immunoreactivity to the majority of neuronal factors studied and the obtained results show that even TDI dose may affect the living organism.