Low dose administration of Bisphenol A induces liver toxicity in adult rats.

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most widely used chemicals, often used in epoxy resins, health products and colors. This study aims to investigate the effect of various doses of BPA on hepatotoxicity in rats.

METHOD: This experimental study was conducted using 20 male adult Wistar rats older than 2 months weighing 150-200 g. (5, 25 and 125 μg/kg) BPA was administered by gavage for 35 consecutive days. The animals were weighed at the beginning and the end of the experiment. The level of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were determined using colorimetric method. The liver tissue was kept in the freezer at -80 °C for histological studies.

FINDING: The body weight of rats receiving BPA decreased significantly compared to control group and this weight loss was more evident at doses of 25 and 125 μg/kg (p < 0.001). Results of the study demonstrated that the level of ALP and AST decreases significantly (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively), while the level of ALT did not change. The results that BPA significantly decreased Beta-2 protein and increased Gama protein serum levels in rats (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: Results of this study demonstrated that BPA increase gamma globulin protein levels and decreases the level of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and serum protein β2 and causes weight loss in rats after treatment. This research also demonstrated that the toxic effect of BPA on liver is induced by oxidative stress.