The adverse effects of bisphenol ‘A’ on some reproductiveorgans of the male albino rat: a light and electronmicroscopic study

BackgroundBisphenol A (BPA) is a xenoestrogen (environmental estrogens) used in theproduction of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins that line food and beveragecans. Modernization of the Arabian Gulf region has resulted in the wide consumptionof readymade foods that are packed in plastic containers and cans. Consequently,the majority of humans, particularly infants and children, are being continuouslyexposed to it.Aim of workThe objective of the present study was to examine the effect of exposure to BPAon the testis, epididymis, prostate, and penile corpora of adult albino rat.Materials and methodsOne, 4, and 8 weeks following a subcutaneous injection of 150 μg BPA/kg bodyweight into adult albino rats every other day for 12 days, the histopathologicalchanges induced in the testis, epididymis, prostate, and penile corpora weredetected using both light and transmission electron microscopic techniques.ResutsIn BPA-treated animals, seminiferous tubules showed a decreased thickness ofgerminal epithelium with vacuolar degeneration and increased apoptotic cells.Sperm were hardly seen till the eighth week, when spermatogenesis was regained,but spermatids and mature sperm still had residual malformations. The roughendoplasmic reticulum cisternae of prostatic parenchyma appeared distended witha homogeneous content whereas most of the secretory vesicles were empty. In thepenile corpora of BPA-treated groups, both tunical thickness and trabecular smoothmuscle content were increased with consequent narrowing of sinusoidal spaces.ConclusionThese results suggest that BPA inhibits spermatogenesis, increases the ratio ofsperm anomalies, and has a potential harmful effect on erectile function, whichraises an alarm to the harmful effects of environmental contaminants that mightcause subfertility or infertility.