Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
Toxicol Ind Health. 2021 Jun;37(6):314-327. doi: 10.1177/07482337211014097. Epub 2021 May 11.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical agent known to have detrimental reproductive and developmental effects. The tissue-specific impacts of BPA exposures and target tissues sensitiveness to BPA are still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the short- and long-term dose-dependent toxic effects of BPA on rat testes. Forty-eight Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups each containing 12 rats. To induce toxicity, BPA was administered orally at three different dosages (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) for 14 and 28 days, respectively. Testis tissues were examined using light and electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and biochemical methods. Serum testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured. Additionally, insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) as a marker of Leydig cell function was evaluated immunohistochemically. Groups administered high doses of BPA showed severe degenerations such as testicular atrophy, spermatogenic arrest, and interstitial edema in testis. Also, a significant decrease in INSL3 immunoreactivity and serum LH and T levels was found. The results indicated that both increased exposure time and dosage of BPA caused more serious detrimental effects on testes in the rat. Decreased INSL3 and T levels was evidence of Leydig cell function impairment due to BPA.
双酚 A（BPA）是一种已知具有生殖和发育毒性的化学物质。BPA 暴露的组织特异性影响和靶组织对 BPA 的敏感性尚不清楚。本研究旨在确定 BPA 对大鼠睾丸的短期和长期、剂量依赖性毒性作用。将 48 只 Wistar 白化雄性大鼠分为四组，每组 12 只。为了诱导毒性，分别以 50、100 和 200mg/kg 的三个不同剂量口服给予 BPA，持续 14 和 28 天。使用光镜和电子显微镜、免疫组织化学和生化方法检查睾丸组织。测量血清睾酮（T）和促黄体生成素（LH）水平。此外，还通过免疫组织化学评估胰岛素样因子 3（INSL3）作为睾丸间质细胞功能的标志物。给予高剂量 BPA 的组显示出严重的退化，如睾丸萎缩、精子发生停滞和间质水肿。此外，还发现 INSL3 免疫反应性以及血清 LH 和 T 水平显著降低。结果表明，BPA 暴露时间的延长和剂量的增加都会对大鼠睾丸造成更严重的有害影响。INSL3 和 T 水平的降低表明由于 BPA，睾丸间质细胞功能受损。
