A University of Idaho researcher reported bisphenol A or BPA, induced changes in the fetal heart development of rhesus monkeys.
Gordon Murdoch, associate professor of physiology in animal and veterinary science, led the study funded by the Passport Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Murdoch collaborated with the University of California, Davis where the rhesus monkeys were housed. The tissues were then sent to UI to be tested, he said.
“Rhesus monkeys have similar developmental stages in utero as humans, making them the best model,” he said. “They are the best experimental model to simulate what maybe going on in another primate, which humans are.”
The objective of this research was to find out if maternal exposure to BPA had any effects on a primate monkey in a developing fetus, he said.
Mothers dosed orally with BPA in a supplemental fruit they received daily were observed having a change in their offspring’s gene expression, compared to the mothers receiving the fruit with no BPA in it, he said.
During pregnancy, the fetus is not pushing any blood with its heart because it is utilizing the mother’s heart, he said. Around the time of birth, the fetus’s heart will begin to be functional. This research showed BPA disrupted this change.
Another gene that was changed is similar to when an adult has cardiovascular disease, which is an enlargement of the heart.
Both cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome are on the rise, along with the use of BPA. The possibility of these two things being connected needed to be looked at, he said.
“BPA is used as an additive for many plastic materials such as water bottles, it is used to line canned foods and it is coated on receipts,” he said. “It is a commonly used chemical humans are exposed to on a daily basis.”
Tests have been given on humans to see how much BPA exposure they receive, he said. During the trial, the research team found out the dosage of BPA they were giving the primates never reached the levels normally seen in most humans — even though there was still a change in heart development.
A follow-up study has been conducted using silastic implants — a tube implanted under the skin that leaches BPA — and reaching doses commonly seen in human exposure, Murdoch said. This trial received higher serum levels. The research from the follow-up study will be published later this year.
“This is just one study and it was anecdotal and we didn’t study it long term, so we didn’t track to see if these (offspring) from these mothers would end up developing cardiovascular disease symptoms earlier or if they had any performance deficits,” he said. “There is still room for more study.”
Research on BPA is expanding to more than just fetal heart development, he said. Other researchers are examining brain, placenta, liver and kidney tissues to see the affect BPA has on the rest of the body.
If there is compelling evidence that this substance is harmful, agencies like the FDA can ban it or request for it to be reduced, he said.
“People can do things that can physically limit their BPA exposure,” Murdoch said. “In my own household, my children don’t microwave plastic and eat out of it. We try to select more fresh fruit and vegetables instead of canned and at the gas pump I choose not to get the receipt. Little things you can do to reduce your BPA exposure.”
Emily Aizawa can be reached at [email protected]