Changes Caused by Bisphenols in the Chemical Coding of Neurons of the Enteric Nervous System of Mouse Stomach

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), an organic chemical compound which is widely used in the production of plastics, can severely damage live organisms. Due to these findings, the plastic industry has started to replace it with other substances, most often with bisphenol S (BPS). Therefore, during the present investigation, with the use of double immunofluorescence labeling, we compared the effect of BPA and BPS on the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the mouse corpus of the stomach. The obtained results show that both studied toxins impact the amount of nerve cells immunoreactive to substance P (SP), galanin (GAL), vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT is used here as a marker of cholinergic neurons) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Changes observed under the impact of both bisphenols depended on the neuronal factor, the type of the enteric ganglion and the doses of bisphenols studied. Generally, the increase in the percentage of neurons immunoreactive to SP, GAL and/or VIP, and the decrease in the percentage of VAChT-positive neurons, was noted. Severity of changes was more visible after BPA administration. However, the study has shown that long time exposure to BPS also significantly affects the ENS.

Influence of bisphenol A and its analog bisphenol S on cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide–positive enteric neurons in the mouse gastrointestinal tract

“…Sections of the digestive tract were subjected to standard double immunofluorescent technique according to the method described in previous studies ( Makowska and Gonkowski, 2023 ). In brief, this method was as follows.…”

“…It is also known that BPS affects the gastrointestinal tract, indicating oxidative damage and inflammatory effects ( Wang C. et al, 2021 ), affecting the gut microbiome ( Wang Y. et al, 2021 ), impairing immune functions at intestinal level ( Malaisé et al, 2020 ) and reducing the expression of genes responsible for glucose metabolism ( Rezg et al, 2019 ). BPS also affects the ENS changing expression of some neuronal factors, but knowledge of these items is rather limited ( Makowska and Gonkowski, 2023 ).…”