IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS AND LIFESTYLE ON HEALTH

RODRÍGUEZ HORACIO ADOLFO

Congreso; LXVII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC); 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

We are continuously exposed to chemicals included in personal care products (PCP) that may affect our health. Benzophenone 3 (BP3) is commonly used in sunscreens and other PCP due to its UV blocking efficacy. Several studies have evidenced that BP3 can act as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). Our interest was to establish if some critical processes for fertility can be identified as targets of BP3 action. In first place we have shown that prenatal dermal exposure to BP3 affected fetal growth of the progeny in mice, inducing a fetal growth restriction (FGR) phenotype. In another experiment with a longer prenatal period of dermal exposure, we showed that pregnant mice exposed to BP3 have reduced the size of whole implantation sites (WIS) and fetus-placental index (FPI), leading to lower weights of fetuses compatible with FGR. Moreover, these growth abnormalities of fetuses were linked to an impaired spiral artery remodeling (SAR) in decidua of BP3-exposed mothers together with reduced presence of NK cells. Then, using an in vitro model of anchoring and implantation of murine blastocysts, we found that BP3-treated embryos displayed significant delayed hatching and attachment, demonstrating that BP3 can exert a direct action on early embryo development. This delay lead to a drastic reduction of implantation area at 6th day of culture. We also found that BP3 reduced the migration ability of human trophoblast cells (Swan 71), which restored to normal values when cells were exposed to BP3+flutamide, an AR inhibitor. On the other hand, we observed that prenatal exposure in two successive pregnancies to BP3 alone or in combination with bisphenol A (BPA), another common EDC, impaired the ability of the ovary to respond to gonadotropins stimulation. Then, we aimed to identify the effects on the offspring caused by a perinatal exposure to BP-3 comprising gestation and breastfeeding. Performing a forced-breeding protocol with the offspring born to mothers perinatally exposed to BP3, we observed a decrease of pups/mother and deliveries/mother, not linked to oocyte depletion. Taking together, these results showed that exposure to BP3 can affect different processes necessary for an optimal fertility. Some of these results were included by SCCS (European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety) in their last opinion on BP3, recommending the reduction of the maximum percentage of BP3 allowed in sunscreens.