Estrogens, acting synergistically with androgens, are known from animal experiments to be important in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and benign prostate enlargement. Human exposure to environmental estrogens occurs throughout the lifespan, but the urologic health risks in men are largely unknown. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor implicated in male urogenital malformations. Given the role of estrogens in male LUTS, we studied the effects of BPA administered in combination with testosterone (T) on the urinary voiding behavior of adult male mice. Adult male mice underwent subcutaneous implantation with slow release pellets of 25 mg BPA or 2.5 mg estradiol-17β (E2), plus 25 mg T and were compared to untreated (UNT) mice that underwent sham surgery. We studied urinary voiding behavior noninvasively for one month prior to treatment and for four months after treatment. After euthanasia, we evaluated bladder volume and mass. Mice treated with T+BPA had increased bladder volume (p < 0.05) and mass (p < 0.01) compared to UNT mice. After four months of treatment with T+BPA, three of five mice developed voiding dysfunction in the form of droplet voiding or an intermediate pattern of voiding different from both UNT and T+E2 treated mice. Treatment of male mice with BPA or estradiol induces voiding dysfunction that manifests at later time points, implicating the endocrine disruptor, BPA, as a contributor to male LUTS.
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