Neonatal exposure to Bisphenol A alters estrogen-dependent mechanisms governing sexual behavior in the adult female rat.

MONJE L; VARAYOUD J; MUÑOZ DE TORO M; LUQUE EH; RAMOS JG

REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY (ELMSFORD, N.Y.)

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2009 vol. 28 p. 435 - 442

0890-6238

This study examines the effects of neonatal exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) on the hypothalamic circuitry controlling the female sexual behaviors of adult rats. Frompostnatal day 1 (PND1) to PND7, pupswere injected with corn oil (control) or BPA (BPA20: 20 mg/kg-d; BPA.05: 0.05 mg/kg-d) and at PND85 the rats were bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX). At PND100, OVX-rats received estradiol alone or estradiol and progesterone to evaluate estrogen-dependent gene expression in the hypothalamus andsexual behavior. In BPA-exposed females, estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) expression was down-regulated in both the medial preoptic (MPN) and ventromedial nucleus (VMHvl), while repressor of estrogen receptor activity (REA) expression was up-regulated in the VMHvl. Interestingly, BPA-exposed females displayed significantly lower levels of proceptive behavior. Our results show that BPA permanently alters the hypothalamic estrogen-dependent mechanisms that govern sexual behavior in the adult female rat.