Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (Jan 2024)

Mixed probiotics modulated gut microbiota to improve spermatogenesis in bisphenol A-exposed male mice

  • Jingyuan Wu,
  • Tuoyu Zhou,
  • Haofei Shen,
  • Yanbiao Jiang,
  • Qi Yang,
  • Shaochen Su,
  • Luming Wu,
  • Xue Fan,
  • Min Gao,
  • Yang Wu,
  • Yun Cheng,
  • Yuan Qi,
  • Ting Lei,
  • Yongan Xin,
  • Shiqiang Han,
  • Xiangkai Li,
  • Yiqing Wang

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 270
p. 115922

Abstract

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Bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disruptor (EDC), has been implicated in impairing intestinal and male reproductive dysfunction. The efficacy of gut microbiota modulation for BPA-exposed testicular dysfunction has yet to be verified through research. Therefore, this study explored the potential of mixed probiotics in restoring spermatogenesis damage through the gut-testis axis under BPA exposure. We selected two probiotics strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus plantarum) with BPA removal properties in vitro and the BPA-exposed male mice model was established. The probiotics mixture effectively reduced BPA residue in the gut, serum, and testis in mice. Through 16 S rDNA-seq and metabolomics sequencing, we uncovered that vitamin D metabolism and bile acid levels in the gut was abolished under BPA exposure. This perturbation was linked to an increased abundance of Faecalibaculum and decreased abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Ligilactobacillus. The probiotics mixture restored this balance, enhancing intestinal barrier function and reducing oxidative stress. This improvement was accompanied by a restored balance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Remarkably, the probiotics ameliorated testicular dysfunction by repairing structures of seminiferous tubules and reversing arrested spermiogenesis. Further, the probiotics mixture enhanced testosterone-driven increases in spermatogonial stem cells and all stages of sperm cells. Testicular transcriptome profiling linked these improvements to fatty acid degradation and peroxisome pathways. These findings suggest a significant interplay between spermatogenesis and gut microbiota, demonstrating that probiotic intake could be a viable strategy for combating male subfertility issues caused by BPA exposure.

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