Neurotoxicity of bisphenol A exposure on Caenorhabditis elegans induced by disturbance of neurotransmitter and oxidative damage

Bisphenol A (BPA) is putatively regarded as an environmental neurotoxicant found in everyday plastic products and materials, however, the possible neurobehavioral adverse consequences and molecular mechanisms in an-imals have not been clearly characterized. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become a promising animal model for neurotoxicological researches. To investigate the dose-effect relationships of BPA-induced neurotox-icity effects, the locomotion behavior and developmental parameters of the nematode were determined after BPA exposure. The present data demonstrated that BPA caused neurobehavioral toxicities, including head thrashes and body bends inhibition. In addition, when C. elegans was exposed to BPA at a concentration higher than 2 mu M, growth and survival rate were decreased. The serotonergic, dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons were damaged by BPA. Furthermore, lower levels of mRNA expression related to dopamine, serotonin and GABA were detected in the worms exposed to 50 mu M BPA. Increased SOD-3 expression might be adaptive response to BPA exposure. Moreover, oxidative damage triggered by BPA was manifested by changes in GST-4 expression, accompany with abnormity of ATP synthesis, but not nuclear localization of DAF-16/FOXO. Finally, we showed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate partially rescued BPA-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and neuro-behavioral toxicity. Altogether, the neurobehavioral and developmental toxicity of BPA may be induced by neurotransmission abnormity and oxidative damage. The present data imply that oxidative stress is linked to neuronal damage and neurobehavioral harm resulting from developmental BPA exposure.

Automated summary

This study used the nematode C. elegans as an animal model to investigate the neurobehavioral and developmental effects of BPA. The results showed that BPA caused neurobehavioral toxicities, decreased growth and survival rate, and damaged neurons in the nematode. In addition, BPA induced oxidative damage. The findings suggest that neurobehavioral and developmental toxicity of BPA may be attributed to neurotransmission abnormality and oxidative damage.