Bisphenol A inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in micromass cultures of rat embryonic midbrain cells through the JNK, CREB and p53 signaling pathways

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 52; pp. 76 - 82
• Main Authors: Liu, Ran, Xing, Lina, Kong, Dan, Jiang, Jianjun, Shang, Lanqin, Hao, Weidong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; bcl-2-Associated X Protein - genetics; bcl-2-Associated X Protein - metabolism; Benzhydryl Compounds - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Bisphenol A; Cell cycle; Cell Cycle Checkpoints - drug effects; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein - metabolism; Developmental toxicity; Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - drug effects; Male; MAP Kinase Kinase 4 - metabolism; Medical sciences; Mesencephalon - drug effects; Mesencephalon - embryology; Mesencephalon - metabolism; Mesencephalon - pathology; Micromass culture; Phenols - toxicity; Phosphorylation - drug effects; Pregnancy; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen - genetics; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Teratology. Teratogens; Toxicology; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - genetics; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - metabolism; Bisphenol A; BPA; CREB; NR; Developmental toxicity; MB; JNK; Cell cycle; Micromass culture; MAPK; ERK; Apoptosis; Cell proliferation; Rat; p53 Protein; Chemical product; TP53 Gene; Signaling pathway; Transcription factor CREB; Organic compounds; Tumor suppressor gene; Enzyme; Transferases; Rodentia; Mitogen-activated protein kinase; Midbrain; Endocrine disruptor; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Embryonic cell; Cell death; Animal; Phenols; Inhibitor
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2012.10.033
• ISSN: 0278-6915

► Bisphenol A (BPA) inhibited proliferation and differentiation in rat midbrain (MB) cells. ► BPA induced cell cycle block and apoptosis in MB cells. ► BPA reduced the phosphorylation level of JNK and CREB in MB cells. ► BPA increased the mRNA expression level of Bax and p53 in MB cells. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic, water bottles and food containers. Previous studies have established that BPA could cause developmental toxicity by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of rat embryonic midbrain (MB) cells in vitro. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been well studied yet. In the current study, we examined the proliferation and differentiation of MB cells treated with 10−12–10−4M BPA and found that only 10−4M BPA inhibited proliferation and differentiation. Then, we investigated the cell cycle progression and apoptosis of MB cells; 10−4M BPA caused an explicit S phase and G2/M phase arrest in the cell cycle and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. Moreover, the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cyclic-AMP response binding protein (CREB) and the expression of some apoptotic regulatory genes were investigated. BPA (10−4M) reduced the phosphorylation of C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and CREB, and increased the mRNA expression level of Bax and p53. Our findings demonstrated that BPA could cause developmental toxicity through anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis in MB cells. Multiple signaling pathways, such as the JNK, CREB and p53-mitochondrial apoptosis pathways, participate in these effects.