Normal reproductive organ development in Wister rats exposed to Bisphenol A in the drinking water

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used primarily as a monomer in the manufact ure of numerous chemical products, such as epoxy resins and polycarbonate. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential effects of BPA on sex ual development of male rats and was designed to clarify low-dose observati ons reported as preliminary results by Sharpe ct at (1996). The protocol fo r the present study followed the same treatment schedule as reported by Sha rpe ct al. (1995, 1996), but included more treatment groups, a greater numb er of animals per group, and a more comprehensive number of reproductive en dpoints. Groups of 28 female Han-Wistar albino rats were exposed to drinkin g water that contained 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 ppm BPA or 0.1 ppm diethyls tilbestrol (DES), 7 days per week, for a total of 10 weeks. Treatment of th e females began at 10 weeks of age and continued throughout a 8-week premat ing period, 2 weeks of mating (to untreated males), 21-22 days of gestation , and 22 days of lactation. Offspring weanling males were given untreated d rinking water and maintained until 90 days of age when evaluations were mad e of various reproductive organs. Consistent with Sharpe et al, (1996) the female offspring were not evaluated. No treatment-related effects on growth or reproductive endpoints were observed in adult females exposed to any co ncentration of BPA. Similarly, no treatment-related effects were observed o n the growth, survival, or reproductive parameters (including testes, prost ate and preputial gland weights, sperm count, daily sperm production, or te stes histopathology) of male offspring from dams exposed to BPA during gest ation and lactation. DES administered in the drinking water at 0.1 ppm resu lted in decreased body weight, body weight change, and food consumption in adult females. In addition, an increase in the duration of gestation and a decrease in the number of pups delivered and number of live pups were also observed in animals exposed to DES. In conclusion, these results do not con firm the previous findings of Sharpe et at (1996) and show that low doses o f BPA had no effects on male sexual development in the rat. (C) 1999 Academ ic Press.