Subchronic toxicity of bisphenol A on the architecture of spleen and hepatic trace metals and protein profile of adult male Wistar rats

Inimical impact of high-fat diet on expression of heme oxygenase-1, trace metals content, and associated intestinal histopathology

A high-fat diet (HFD) is one of the most prominent causative factors for obesity and metabolic inflammation. The effects of HFD overconsumption on intestinal histology, expression of haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and transferrin receptor-2 (TFR2) remain elusive. The present study was conducted to analyze the effect of HFD on these parameters. To develop the HFD-induced obese model, rat colonies were divided into 3 groups; the control group was reared on normal rat chow, whereas groups I and II were given HFD for 16 weeks. Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining revealed marked epithelial changes, inflammatory cell infiltrates, and destruction of mucosal architecture in both experimental groups as compared to the control group. Sudan Black B staining showed a high triglyceride deposition in the intestinal mucosa of animals fed on HFD. Atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed a decrease in tissue copper (Cu) and selenium (Se) concentration in both HFD experimental groups. Whereas the cobalt (Co) and manganese (Mn) levels were comparable to controls. The mRNA expression levels of HO-1 and TFR2 were found to be significantly upregulated in HFD groups compared to the control group. Hence, HFD consumption leads to histopathological changes and altered gene expression in the rodent intestine. So, one should remove HFD from daily meals to avoid related metabolic complications.

Nattokinase attenuates bisphenol A or gamma irradiation-mediated hepatic and neural toxicity by activation of Nrf2 and suppression of inflammatory mediators in rats

Nattokinase (NK), a protease enzyme produced by Bacillus subtilis, has various biological effects such as lipid-lowering activity, antihypertensive, antiplatelet/anticoagulant, and neuroprotective effects. Exposure to environmental toxicants such as bisphenol A (BPA) or γ-radiation (IR) causes multi-organ toxicity through several mechanisms such as impairment of oxidative status, signaling pathways, and hepatic and neuronal functions as well as disruption of the inflammatory responses. Therefore, this study is designed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of NK against BPA- or IR-induced liver and brain damage in rats. Serum ammonia level and liver function tests were measured in addition to brain oxidative stress markers, amyloid-beta, tau protein, and neuroinflammatory mediators. Moreover, relative quantification of brain nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) genes, as well as apoptotic markers in brain tissue, was carried out in addition to histopathological examination. The results showed that NK improved liver functions, impaired oxidative status, the cholinergic deficits, and minified the misfolded proteins aggregates. Furthermore, NK alleviated the neuroinflammation via modulating NF-κB/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and glial cell activation in addition to their antiapoptotic effect. Collectively, the current results revealed the protective effect of NK against hepatic and neurotoxicity derived from BPA or IR.

In vivo assessment of bisphenol A induced histopathological alterations and inflammatory gene expression in lungs of male Wistar rats

Bisphenol A (BPA), an imperative environmental contaminant used in polycarbonate plastics. Due to limited information concerning the effect of BPA on lungs, this study design to assess whether BPA cause alterations in histopathology and trace metal content in lungs of rats. They were divided into five groups with five rats per group. Group I was named as control group. Group L6 and L12 were received BPA (10 mg/kg body weight/day) for 6 weeks and 12 weeks respectively. Group H6 and L12 were given BPA (25 mg/kg body weight/day) for 6 weeks and 12 weeks respectively. Considerable alteration in Cu, Zn and Fe was detected in experimental groups. BPA also caused significant increase in the expression of tumor necrosis factor α that mediate the pulmonary inflammatory response. Comparative study of resolved proteins i.e. 72 KDa (matrix metalloproteinase 2 fragment) and 109 KDa (nucleolin) on SDS-PAGE showed their altered expression in experimental groups. Histopathology of experimental groups revealed altered architecture of lungs. Special staining of BPA treated groups showed significant number of mast cells in alveoli and bronchioles. Prolonged administration of BPA causes deleterious aggravating lung damage even at extremely low dose, so the use of BPA should be prohibited in plastic synthesizing industries.