Effects of Bisphenol-A or Testosterone treatment during adolescence on memory and weight gain in gonadectomized male rats

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a common environmental endocrine disrupter exerting effects on many parameters (neural, physiological, and behavioral measures) via both estrogen and androgen receptors. BPA is an industrial compound used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, such as CDs and DVDs, electronic equipment, cars, sports safety equipment, widely used in manufacture of hard plastic products such as food storage containers, bathtubs and countertops, can linings, and reusable bottles. BPA has many negative effects in humans. It may have carcinogenic effects leading to breast cancer, be toxic to the liver, linked to obesity due to effects on fat-cells, and can be associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver disease (Huang, et a.,2012). Our studies are designed to assess the effects of low-dose levels of BPA (below the current reference safe daily limit of 50 µg/kg/day set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) exposure during the vulnerable adolescent period when the brain is undergoing rapid neurodevelopment changes. We have previously demonstrated that short-term, low-dose BPA exposure (40 µg/kg/bodyweight) during adolescent development in intact male and female rats impairs memory in both adolescence and adulthood (Frankfurt, et al., 2020). Given that the mechanism of action of BPA is presumed to involve gonadal steroid receptors, we repeated these experiments in gonadectomized male rats. In the present study we assessed the effects of BPA on gonadectomized (GDX) adolescent males