Multigenerational study of the obesogen effects of bisphenol S after a perinatal exposure in C57BL6/J mice fed a high fat diet

Background: Bisphenol S is an endocrine disruptor exhibiting metabolic disturbances, especially following perinatal exposures. To date, no data are available on the obesogen effects of BPS in a mutligenerational issue. Objectives: We investigated obesogen effects of BPS in a multigenerational study by focusing on body weight, adipose tissue and plasma parameters in male and female mice. Methods: Pregnant C57BL6/J mice were exposed to BPS (1.5 mg/kg bw/day ie a human equivalent dose of 0.12 mg/kg bw/day) by drinking water from gestational day 0 to post natal day 21. All offsprings were fed with a high fat diet during 15 weeks. Body weight was monitored weekly and fat mass was measured before euthanasia. At euthanasia, blood glucose, insuline, triglyceride, cholesterol and no esterified fatty acid plasma levels were determined and gene expressions in visceral adipose tissue were assessed. F1 males and females were mated to obtain the F2 generation. Likewise, the F2 mice were cross-bred to obtain F3. The same analyses were performed. Results: In F1 BPS induced an overweight in male mice associated to lipolysis gene expressions upregulation. In F1 females, dyslipidemia was observed. In F2, BPS exposure was associated to an increase in body weight, fat and VAT masses in males and females. Several plasma parameters were increased but with a sex related pattern (blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol in males and NEFA in females). We observed a down-regulation in mRNA expression of gene involved in lipogenesis and in lipolysis for females but only in the lipogenesis for males. In F3, a decrease in VAT mass and an upregulation of lipogenesis gene expression occurred only in females. Conclusions: BPS perinatal exposure induced sex-dependent obesogen multigenerational effects, the F2 generation being the most impacted. Transgenerational disturbances persisted only in females. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study found that perinatal exposure to BPS can lead to sex-dependent obesogen effects in multiple generations of mice. In the F1 generation, male mice showed overweight while female mice exhibited dyslipidemia. In the F2 generation, BPS exposure was associated with increased body weight, fat, and visceral adipose tissue in both males and females.