In vitro evaluation of gene expression changes for gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophic tyrosine kinase, receptor, type 2, in response to bisphenol A treatment.

We evaluated the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on embryonic mouse hypothalamic cells. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated that gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (Gnrh1) expression in 0.02-20 μM BPA-treated cells did not differ from that in control cells but decreased significantly in 200 μMBPAtreated cells. The mRNA level for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), which participates in GNRH1 secretory system development, decreased significantly in 200 μM BPA-treated cells, but that for neurotrophic tyrosine kinase, receptor, type 2 (Ntrk2), did not change. This indicates that Gnrh1 gene expression in mice fetuses is not affected by exposure to <20 μM BPA and that the adverse effects of BPA on the BDNF-NTRK2 neurotrophin system are induced by decrease in the mRNA level of the ligand, not of its receptor.