Risk assessment of Bisphenol A analogue (BPAF) in zebrafish spermatogenesis and embryonic development

Abstract

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an industrial compound whose production started in the mid-1950s, since then it has been widely used on a global scale mainly for the manufacture of plastics. Studies have also proven that BPA is an endocrine disruptor, causing damage to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis of several vertebrates, such as mice, rats, humans, and zebrafish. Alternative analog bisphenols, such as BPAF, were developed with the aim of replacing BPA in plastics production and other products that carry the compound. However, these alternative bisphenols have little literature on their effects, and some studies have elucidated that these compounds also act as endocrine disruptors, and may be equal to or even more harmful than BPA. Thus, using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model, this project aims to evaluate the effects of exposure to the alternative BPAF, with in vitro and in vivo approaches, focusing on spermatogenesis, male reproduction, and embryo development, evaluating both morphological aspects, molecular and epigenetic of these processes.(AU)