Maternal and fetal exposure to bisphenol a is associated with alterations of thyroid function in pregnant ewes and their newborn lambs.

The putative thyroid-disrupting properties of bisphenol A (BPA) highlight the need for an evaluation of fetal exposure and its consequence on the mother/newborn thyroid functions in models relevant to human. The goals of this study were to characterize in sheep a relevant model for human pregnancy and thyroid physiology, the internal exposures of the fetuses and their mothers to BPA and its main metabolite BPA-glucuronide (Gluc), and to determine to what extent it might be associated with thyroid disruption. Ewes were treated with BPA [5 mg/(kg · d) sc] or vehicle from d 28 until the end of pregnancy. Unconjugated BPA did not appear to accumulate in pregnant ewes, and its concentration was similar in the newborns and their mothers (0.13 ± 0.02 and 0.18 ± 0.03 nmol/ml in cord and maternal blood, respectively). In amniotic fluid and cord blood, BPA-Gluc concentrations were about 1300-fold higher than those of BPA. Total T(4) concentrations were decreased in BPA-treated pregnant ewes and in the cord and the jugular blood of their newborns (30% decrease). A similar difference was observed for free T(4) plasma concentrations in the jugular blood of the newborns. Our results show in a long-gestation species with a similar regulatory scheme of thyroid function as humans that BPA in utero exposure can be associated with hypothyroidism in the newborns. If such an effect were to be confirmed for a more relevant exposure scheme to BPA, this would constitute a major issue for BPA risk assessment.