Endocrine disruptors in utero cause ovarian damages linked to endometriosis

Pietro, G. Signorile, Signorile PG, Pietro G Signorile, Spugnini EP, Enrico P Spugnini, Gennaro Citro, Citro G, Viceconte R, Rosa Viceconte, Bruno Vincenzi, Baldi F, Feliciano Baldi, Alfonso Baldi, Baldi A
Frontiers in bioscience (Elite edition) · 2011 · vol. E4(1) , pp. 1724 · doi:10.2741/493 · PMID:22201988 · W15943407
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 13 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-12 ⓘ

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A in mice reduced ovarian follicle counts and increased atretic follicles, with more severe ovarian damage observed in mice exhibiting an endometriosis-like phenotype.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-12 · read from full text ⓘ

The study examined whether in utero exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) affects ovarian development in timed pregnant Balb-C mice, with dosing from gestational day 1 through 7 days after delivery followed by ovarian analysis of pups at 3 months. Compared with untreated controls, BPA-exposed offspring had significantly fewer primordial and developing follicles and a higher number of atretic follicles. The paper further reports that mice showing an endometriosis-like phenotype had more severe ovarian impairment than other BPA-exposed mice. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it describes a combined phenotype of BPA-induced ovarian lesions and an endometriosis-like phenotype in prenatally exposed mice.

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Abstract

Timed pregnant Balb-C mice were treated from day 1 of gestation to 7 days after delivery with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol a (BPA) (100, or 1,000 microg/kg/day). After delivery, pups were hold for three months; then, ovaries were analyzed in their entirety. We found that in the ovaries of BPA-treated animals the number of primordial follicles and of developing follicles was significantly lower than in the untreated animals. Moreover, the number of atretic follicles was significantly higher in the treated animals. Finally, we found that the animals displaying endometriosis-like phenotype had a more severe impairment of the ovaries in term of number of primordial and developing follicles in comparison with the other mice exposed to BPA. In conclusion, we describe for the first time a complex phenotype in mice, elicited by pre-natal exposition to BPA, that includes ovarian lesions and endometriosis. Considering the high incidence of endometriosis and of the premature ovarian failure associated to infertility in these patients, the data showed prompt a thoroughly reconsideration of the pathological framing of these lesions.
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Abstract

Timed pregnant Balb-C mice were treated from day 1 of gestation to 7 days after delivery with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol a (BPA) (100, or 1,000 µg/kg/day). After delivery, pups were hold for three months; then, ovaries were analyzed in their entirety. We found that in the ovaries of BPA-treated animals the number of primordial follicles and of developing follicles was significantly lower than in the untreated animals. Moreover, the number of atretic follicles was significantly higher in the treated animals. Finally, we found that the animals displaying endometriosis-like phenotype had a more severe impairment of the ovaries in term of number of primordial and developing follicles in comparison with the other mice exposed to BPA. In conclusion, we describe for the first time a complex phenotype in mice, elicited by prenatal exposition to BPA, that includes ovarian lesions and endometriosis. Considering the high incidence of endometriosis and of the premature ovarian failure associated to infertility in these patients, the data showed prompt a thoroughly reconsideration of the pathological framing of these lesions.

Keywords

- Endometriosis - Premature Ovarian Failure - Precocious Menopause - Infertility - Ovary - Endocrine Disruptor - Bisphenol A

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endocrine Disruptors Endometriosis Maternal Exposure Ovary Animals Endocrine Disruptors Endometriosis Female Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Ovary Pregnancy

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