Ovarian dysfunctions in adult female rat offspring born to mothers perinatally exposed to low doses of bisphenol A

The study of oral exposure to the environmental estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) during the perinatal period and its effects on ovarian functionality in adulthood has generated special interest. Thus, our objective was to investigate ovarian folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in adult female rat offspring born to mothers exposed to low doses of BPA (BPA50: 50 μg/kg day; BPA0.5: 0.5 μg/kg day) by the oral route during gestation and breastfeeding. Ovaries from both BPA-treated groups showed reduced primordial follicle recruitment and a greater number of corpora lutea, indicating an increased number of ovulated oocytes, coupled with higher levels of mRNA expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and serum progesterone. BPA50-treated animals had lower expression of androgen receptor (AR) at different stages of the growing follicle population. BPA0.5-treated rats evidenced an imbalance of AR expression between primordial/primary follicles, with higher mRNA-follicle-stimulating hormone receptor expression. These results add to the growing evidence that folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis are targets of BPA within the ovary.