Doctoral student Nelyana Oliveira presented the study entitled “Impacts of maternal exposure to bisphenol F (BPF) and AF (BPAF) on thyroid function in Wistar rats: Effects during lactation and adulthood” at the XXXIX Annual Meeting of the Federation of Experimental Biology Societies (FeSBE 2025), promoted by the Brazilian Society of Physiology (SBFis). Supervised by professors Andrea Ferreira and Patricia Lisboa (UERJ), and professor Leandro Miranda-Alves, the study was a finalist for the SBFis - Álvaro Ozório de Almeida Award and received an honorable mention.
The research investigates the effects of maternal exposure to bisphenol A analogs, BPF and BPAF, on thyroid function in Wistar rats, focusing on the periods of lactation and adulthood in the offspring. These compounds, classified as endocrine disruptors, have the potential to interfere with thyroid function and induce metabolic programming when exposure occurs during critical developmental windows. The mothers were exposed to two doses of BPF and BPAF (10 µg and 50 µg) during lactation. Thyroid, oxidative, and hormonal parameters were evaluated in mothers and offspring of both sexes at weaning and in adulthood.
The results show that females exposed to BPF had a significant reduction in DUOX enzyme activity, while males showed an increase in this activity. Mothers treated with the lower dose of BPF exhibited an increase in enzymes involved in hormone synthesis. BPAF, on the other hand, caused changes in the expression of thyroid genes. In adulthood, males exposed to BPAF showed reduced expression of key thyroid genes, increased levels of T4 and TSH, and heightened oxidative stress. Conversely, adult females exposed to BPAF had a reduction in antioxidant enzyme activity, although their thyroid hormone levels remained unchanged.
These findings indicate that early exposure to BPF and BPAF can induce thyroid dysfunctions with sex- and life stage-dependent effects. The persistent effects, even at low doses, combined with oxidative stress and hormonal dysregulation, reinforce the risk of metabolic programming of thyroid function. The results contribute to the ongoing discussion about the safety of BPA substitutes and highlight the need for stricter toxicological assessments regarding their developmental impacts.
