An article published on May 9, 2017 in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology Letters reported on the cardiotoxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) investigated within the large CLARITY-BPA project. CLARITY-BPA stands for “Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity” (FPF reported). This large study, overseen by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, was initiated with the aim to support collaboration of “academic researchers with federal regulators to answer critical research questions about BPA that will help inform regulatory decision-making” (FPF reported).

Robin Gear and colleagues from the Department of Biological Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, U.S., applied quantitative morphometry and histopathology to examine the hearts isolated from rats exposed to different doses of BPA or a positive control 17alpha-ethinylestradiolo (EE), or to 0.3% carboxymethylcellulose vehicle control. The rats were exposed either as fetuses (by dosing the pregnant dams) or postnatally by oral gavage.

At postnatal day 21, a significant increase in the incidence and severity of progressive cardiomyopathy was found in female rats from both BPA and EE exposure groups. At postnatal day 90, increased severity of cardiomyopathy, resulting in pronounced myocardial degeneration, was observed in both sexes. The authors concluded that their observations are “indicative of modest exposure related cardiotoxicity that may be the result of an increase in adverse vascular events.”

Reference

Gear, R., et al. (2017). “Effects of bisphenol A on incidence and severity of cardiac lesions in the NCTR-Sprague-Dawley rat: A CLARITY-BPA study.Toxicology Letters (published May 9, 2017).

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