Bisphenol S instead of bisphenol A: a story of reproductive disruption by regretable substitution - a review

Abstract

A range of substances that are released into the environment, foodstuffs and drinking water as a result of human activity were originally considered relatively harmless, and it was only later that their adverse effects were discovered. In general the use of such substances is currently restricted, and they are often replaced by other substances. This applies also in the case of a range of endocrine disruptors. These substances have the capacity to disturb the balance of physiological functions of the organism on the level of hormonal regulation, and their pleiotropic spectrum of effects is very difficult to predict. Endocrine disruptors include the currently intensively studied bisphenol A (BPA), a prevalent environmental pollutant and contaminant of both water and foodstuffs. BPA has a significantly negative impact on human health, particularly on the regulation mechanisms of reproduction, and influences fertility. The ever increasingly stringent restriction of the industrial production of BPA is leading to its replacement with analogues, primarily with bisphenol S (BPS), which is not subject to these restrictions and whose impacts on the regulation of reproduction have not yet been exhaustively studied. However, the limited number of studies at disposal indicates that BPS may be at least as harmful as BPA. There is therefore a potential danger that the replacement of BPA with BPS will become one of the cases of regrettable substitution, in which the newly used substances manifest similar or even worse negative effects than the substances which they have replaced. The objective of this review is to draw attention to ill-advised replacements of endocrine disruptors with substances whose effects are not yet tested, and which may represent the same risks for the environment, for the reproduction of males and females, and for human health as have been demonstrated in the case of the originally used substances.

Bisphenol S negatively affects the meotic maturation of pig oocytes

“…BPS is used compound in common plastics, canned items, receipt papers and many others 8 . Therefore, global production of BPS is rising sharply 11 .…”

Endocrine Disruptors: Very Low Doses with Genuinely High Impacts on Male Reproduction

“…There are many shared features of EDs, such as spatiotemporal omnipresence, exposure to very low doses, and, therefore, often a nontoxic effect [28]. Nevertheless, the affection of hormonal balance represents a major sign of them, giving the name to endocrine disruptors [29].…”

Endocrine Disruptors and Reproductive Health in Males

“…In other studies, cytotoxic, genotoxic [93], and mutagenic [94] effects of BPS in different cell models were documented. It is proved that the exposure to BPS can violate the cellular signaling path in the apoptotic and viability ways, which is why it is possible to expect a reaction of BPS with pro-apoptotic and signaling cascades observed also in the sex cells resulting in the affected cell cycle and apoptosis [95]. Nowadays, further research is required to elucidate the effects of bisphenols on the male and female reproductive system.…”