Effects of adult exposure to bisphenol A on genes involved in the physiopathology of rat prefrontal cortex Castro, Beatriz Sánchez Medina, María Pilar Torres de Pinedo, Jesús Manuel Ortega Sánchez, Esperanza Biosynthesis Gamma-aminobutyric acid Isozymes Messenger RNA Polymerase chain reaction Prefrontal cortex Synaptic plasticity Tryptophan Several neurological and behavioral dysfunctions have been reported in animals exposed to bisphenol A (BPA). However, little is known about the impact of adult exposure to BPA on brain physiopathology. Here, we focused on prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats, because it is an important area for cognitive control, complex behaviors and is altered in many psychopathologies. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems are essential for PFC function. Therefore, we examined the effects of adult exposure to BPA on 5α-Reductase (5α-R) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom), enzymes that synthesize GABAA receptor modulators, and tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph), the rate-limiting enzyme in 5-HT biosynthesis. To gain better understanding of BPA’s action in the adult PFC, 84 genes involved in neurotoxicity were also analysed. Adult male and female rats were subcutaneously injected for 4 days with 50 µg/kg/day, the current reference safe dose for BPA. mRNA and protein levels of 5α-R, P450arom and Tph were quantified by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Genes linked to neurotoxicity were analyzed by PCR-Array technology. Adult exposure to BPA increased both P450arom and Tph2 expression in PFC of male and female, but decreased 5α-R1 expression in female. Moreover, we identified 17 genes related to PFC functions such as synaptic plasticity and memory, as potential targets of BPA. Our results provided new insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying BPA action in the physiopathology of PFC, but also raise the question about the safety of short-term exposure to it in the adulthood. 2013-12-19T12:54:47Z 2013-12-19T12:54:47Z 2013 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Castro, B.; et al. Effects of adult exposure to bisphenol A on genes involved in the physiopathology of rat prefrontal cortex. Plos One, 8(9): e73584 (2013). [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/29701] 1932-6203 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073584 http://hdl.handle.net/10481/29701 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License Public Library of Science (PLOS)