Effect of the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) on the thyroid axis of adult teleost fish

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems can be strongly affected by anthropic activities resulting from agriculture, mining, industries and urban settlements. Among the released pollutants are the plasticizers (phthalates and bisphenols), that are considered of emerging concern. Bisphenol A (BPA) can involve disruption of multiple pathways related to several cellular and physiological processes (proliferation, metabolism, immune response, etc.) in both males and females. Thus, the main goal of the present project is to analyse the effects of the plasticizer BPA on the thyroid axis of adult teleost fish, with emphasis on the mode of action, and the possible interaction with the reproductive axis, using as a model a fish species representative of the Rio de la Plata basin, the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus. The project will characterize the thyroid system of adult C. dimerus at the pituitary and thyroid gland levels and determine the mode of action of BPA on parameters of the thyroid and reproductive axis, using in vitro assays. (AU)