Bisphenols A, F, S and AF trigger apoptosis and/or endoplasmic reticulum stress in human endometrial stromal cells

• Published in: Toxicology (Amsterdam) Vol. 478; p. 153282
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Ricardo, Amaral, Cristina, Correia-da-Silva, Georgina, Almada, Marta, Borges, Margarida, Cunha, Sara Cristina, Fernandes, José Oliveira, Teixeira, Natércia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Bisphenol; BPA analogues; Endocrine disrupting chemicals; Endometrial stromal cells; Endoplasmic reticulum stress; DiOC63; BPS; NR; PMA; BPA analogues; DCFH2-DA; BPAF; MTT; ER; Endocrine disrupting chemicals; Endoplasmic reticulum stress; Δ ψm; DMEM; LDH; BPA; STS; ESC; ROS; BPF; PI; Bisphenol; Apoptosis; Endometrial stromal cells
• ISSN: 0300-483X; 1879-3185
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2022.153282

Disruption of non-differentiated endometrial stromal cells could have noxious consequences in female reproduction, impairing endometrial remodelling and implantation. Following the classification of bisphenol A (BPA) as an endocrine disrupting chemical, it started to be gradually withdrawn from the market, being substituted by structural analogues, whose effects in human health are not fully understood. This work used a telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cell line (St-T1b) to study the effects of BPA and its three most commercialized structural analogues (ranked: bisphenols S, F and AF) on endometrial stromal cells to understand their effects on female reproductive function. Bisphenols showed dissimilar effects. All four compounds generated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In addition, bisphenols A, F and AF induced apoptosis through different mechanisms, with bisphenol AF causing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. Bisphenol AF decreased mitochondrial transmembrane potential and bisphenols A, F and AF produced oxidative stress. •Bisphenols A, F and AF induce apoptosis in endometrial stromal cells.•Bisphenols A, F, S and AF induce ER-stress in endometrial stromal cells.•Bisphenols AF and S were, respectively, the most and least toxic compounds.