CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Bisphenol A (BPA), a monomer of polycarbonate plastics, and Benzophenones (BPs), UV-filters, are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). The hypothesis is that EDC exposure causes brain inflammation and predisposes animals to develop obesity and infertility. Previous results showed that the in-vitro exposure to BPA increases Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) in hypothalami and IL-18 in mature GnRH neurons. Here, gene expression of cytokines (interleukins 6 and 1β, IL-6 and IL-1β) were evaluated in whole hypothalami of adult Balb/c mice and in immortalized GnRH neurons. Hypothalami were incubated in Krebs-Ringer medium in the presence or absence of BPA, BP2 or BP3 (1x10-9M) or medium alone (C) for six hours, and mRNA was extracted for gene expression analysis by qPCR. GnRH neuronal cell lines were cultured in 12-well plates (200000 cells/well) in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS. After 24 hours, media were changed to DMEM without phenol red with 10% charcoal-stripped FBS. Cells were incubated with BPA, BP2, BP3 (1x10-9M) or vehicle (C) for 12 or 24 hours, RNA was extracted and gene expression analyzed by qPCR. In the hypothalami, IL-1β expression was not changed by EDC exposure (ANOVA ns, n=8). Exposure to BP2 decreased IL-6 compared to C, although not reaching statistical significance (C=1.1±0.3; BP2=0.5±0.2; C vs BP2 p=0.08, n=8). Neither BPA nor BP3 changed IL-6 expression. In GT1-7 cells (mature GnRH neurons), 24-hour exposure to BPA decreased IL-6 expression, without reaching statistical significance (C=1.1±0.2; BPA=0.7±0.1, C vs BPA p=0.09, n=4). Neither BP2 nor BP3 changed IL-6 in this cell line. Further experiments are underway to confirm the gene expression changes. The results will help us to further understand how exposure to EDC affects brain inflammation. Supported by: CONICET, ANPCyT, UBA, Int. Soc. for Neurochemistry, Asoc. ORT Argentina, Fund. René Barón, Fund. Williams.