Prenatal exposure to low doses of bisphenol A alters the periductal stroma and glandular cell function in the rat ventral prostate

RAMOS JG; VARAYOUD J; SONNENSCHEIN C; SOTO AM; MUÑOZ DE TORO M; LUQUE EH

BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION

SOC STUDY REPRODUCTION

Año: 2001 vol. 65 p. 1271 - 1277

0006-3363

Environmental estrogens (xenoestrogens) are chemicals thatbind to estrogen receptor, mimic estrogenic actions, and mayhave adverse effects on both human and wildlife health. BisphenolA (BPA), a monomer used in the manufacture of epoxyresins and polycarbonate has estrogenic activity. In male rodentsprenatal exposure to BPA resulted in modifications at the genitaltract level. Our objective was to examine the effects of in uteroexposure to low, environmentally relevant levels, of the xenoestrogenBPA on proliferation and differentiation of epithelial andstromal cells on the prepubertal rat ventral prostate. To characterizethe periductal stromal cells phenotype the expressionof vimentin and smooth muscle a-actin was evaluated. Androgenreceptor (AR) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) expressionwere also evaluated in epithelial and stromal compartments.Prenatal exposure to BPA increases the fibroblastic:smooth muscle cells ratio and decreases the number of AR-positivecells of periductal stroma of the ventral prostate. Incontrast, no differences in AR expression were observed in epithelialcells between control and BPA-treated groups. Nochanges in proliferation patterns were observed in epithelial andstromal compartments; however, the expression of PAP was diminishedin prostate ductal secretory cells of rats in utero exposedto BPA. Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to BPAaltered the differentiation pattern of periductal stromal cells ofthe ventral prostate. These findings are significant in light of thedata on human prostate cancers where alterations in the stromacompartment may enhance the invasive and/or malignant potentialof the nascent tumor.