Oxidative damage contributes to bisphenol S-induced development block at 2-cell stage preimplantation embryos in mice through inhibiting of embryonic genome activation.

Although bisphenol S (BPS), as a bisphenol A (BPA) substitute, has been widely used in the commodity, it is embryotoxic in recent experiments. Nowadays, it remains unclear how BPS affects preimplantation embryos. Here, my team investigated the effects of BPS on preimplantation embryos and the possible molecular mechanisms in mice. The results showed that 10 mol/L BPS exposure delayed the blastocysts stage, and exposure to 10 mol/L BPS induced 2-cell block in mice preimplantation embryos. A significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and antioxidant enzyme genes Sod1, Gpx1, Gpx6, and Prdx2 expression were shown, but the level of apoptosis was normal in 2-cell blocked embryos. Further experiments demonstrated that embryonic genome activation (EGA) specific genes Hsp70.1 and Hsc70 were significantly decreased, which implied that ROS and EGA activation have the potential to block 2-cell development. Antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and folic acid (FA) were used to further explore the roles of ROS and EGA in 2-cell block. Only 1200 U/mL SOD was found to alleviate the phenomenon of 2-cell block, reduce oxidative damage, and restore the expression of EGA-specific genes Hsp70.1 and Hsc70. Conclusively, this study demonstrates for the first time that BPS can induce 2-cell block, which is mainly mediated by ROS aggregation and results in the failure of EGA activation.