Animals (Aug 2022)

Experimental Exposure to Bisphenol A Has Minimal Effects on Bone Tissue in Growing Rams—A Preliminary Study

  • Jana Brankovič,
  • Jakob Leskovec,
  • Sabina Šturm,
  • Vesna Cerkvenik-Flajs,
  • Saša Šterpin,
  • Joško Osredkar,
  • Estera Pogorevc,
  • David Antolinc,
  • Milka Vrecl

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12172179
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 17
p. 2179

Abstract

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known synthetic compound that belongs to the group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Although bone tissue is a target for these compounds, studies on BPA-related effects on bone morphology in farm animals are limited. In this preliminary study, we investigated the effects of short-term dietary BPA exposure on femoral morphology, metabolism, mineral content, and biomechanical behavior in rams aged 9–12 months. Fourteen rams of the Istrian Pramenka breed were randomly divided into a BPA group and a control group (seven rams/group) and exposed to 25 µg BPA/kg bw for 64 days in feed. Blood was collected for determination of bone turnover markers (procollagen N-terminal propeptide, C-terminal telopeptide), and femurs were assessed via computed tomography, histomorphometry, three-point bending test, and mineral analysis. BPA had no significant effects on most of the parameters studied. Only mineral analysis showed decreased manganese (50%; p ≤ 0.05) and increased copper content (25%; p ≤ 0.05) in the femurs of BPA-exposed rams. These results suggest that a 2-month, low-dose exposure to BPA in growing rams did not affect the histomorphology, metabolism, and biomechanical behavior of femurs; however, it affected the composition of microelements, which could affect the histometric and biophysical properties of bone in the long term.

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