Joint effect between bisphenol A and alcohol consumption on benign prostatic hyperplasia: A case-control study in Hong Kong Chinese males

Bisphenol A exposure stimulates prostatic fibrosis via exosome-triggered epithelium changes

Fibrosis is the pathological basis for the clinical progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostatic fibrosis is an important risk factor in patients with BPH who experience lower urinary tract symptoms. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental endocrine disruptor (EED) that causes prostate defects. The effects of BPA on the prostate were investigated in this study using mouse and human prostate cell models. BPA-induced mouse prostatic fibrosis is characterized by collagen deposition and an increase in hydroxyproline concentration. Furthermore, BPA-exposed prostatic stromal fibroblasts exosomes promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of epithelial cells. High-throughput RNA sequencing and functional enrichment analyses show that substantially altered mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs play roles in cellular interactions and the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathway. The results showed that exosomes participated in the pro-fibrogenic effects of BPA on the prostate by mediating communication between stromal and epithelial cells and triggering epithelial changes.

Evaluating endocrine disrupting chemicals: A perspective on the novel assessments in CLARITY-BPA

BACKGROUND

The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on Bisphenol A Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) was a collaborative research effort to better link academic research with governmental guideline studies. This review explores the secondary goal of CLARITY-BPA: to identify endpoints or technologies from CLARITY-BPA and prior/concurrent literature from these laboratories that may enhance the capacity of rodent toxicity studies to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted with search terms for BPA and the CLARITY-BPA participants. Relevant studies employed a laboratory rodent model and reported results on 1 of the 10 organs/organ systems evaluated in CLARITY-BPA (brain and behavior, cardiac, immune, mammary gland, ovary, penile function, prostate gland and urethra, testis and epididymis, thyroid hormone and metabolism, and uterus). Study design and findings were summarized, and a risk-of-bias assessment was conducted.

RESULTS

Several endpoints and methods were identified as potentially helpful to detect effects of EDCs. For example, molecular and quantitative morphological approaches were sensitive in detecting alterations in early postnatal development of the brain, ovary, and mammary glands. Hormone challenge studies mimicking human aging reported increased susceptibility of the prostate to disease following developmental BPA exposure. Statistical analyses for nonmonotonic dose responses, and computational approaches assessing multiple treatment-related outcomes concurrently in linked hormone-sensitive organ systems, reported effects at low BPA doses.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provided an opportunity to evaluate the unique insights provided by nontraditional assessments in CLARITY-BPA to identify technologies and endpoints to enhance detection of EDCs in future studies.

Individual and Combined Effect of Bisphenol A and Bisphenol AF on Prostate Cell Proliferation through NF-κB Signaling Pathway

The ubiquitous environmental endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) can induce prostatic dysfunction. However, to date, studies have focused little on the perturbations of prostate health initiated by the BPA derivative bisphenol AF (BPAF) and co-exposure to bisphenol compounds. An in vivo study orally administrated male rats with BPA (10, 90 μg/kg), BPAF (10, 90 μg/kg) and the inhibitor of nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC, 100 mg/kg). Based on the anatomical analysis, pathological observations and PCNA over-expression, we considered that low-dose BPA and BPAF facilitated ventral prostatic hyperplasia in rats. The results of IHC and ELISA mirrored the regulation of NF-κB p65, COX-2, TNF-α and EGFR in BPA- and BPAF-induced prostatic toxicity. An in vitro study found that the additive effect of combined exposure to BPA (10 nM) and BPAF (10 nM) could cause an elevation in the proliferation of and a reduction in the apoptosis level of human prostate stromal cells (WPMY-1) and fibroblasts (HPrF). Meanwhile, the underlying biomarkers of the NF-κB signaling pathway also involved the abnormal proliferative progression of prostate cells. The findings recapitulated the induction of BPAF exposure and co-treatment with BPA and BPAF on prostatic hyperplasia and emphasized the modulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.