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Updated: May 26, 2026

Assessment of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on the Development of Vertebrate Neural Network Function Using Multi-electrode Arrays
Published on: April 26, 2018
Bisphenol-A acts as a potent estrogen via non-classical estrogen triggered pathways
Paloma Alonso-Magdalena1, Ana Belén Ropero, Sergi Soriano
1Instituto de Bioingeniería and CIBERDEM, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain. palonso@umh.es
Abstract:
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an estrogenic monomer commonly used in the manufacture of numerous consumer products such as food and beverage containers. Widespread human exposure to significant doses of this compound has been reported. Traditionally, BPA has been considered a weak estrogen, based on its lower binding affinity to the nuclear estrogen receptors (ERs) compared to 17-β estradiol (E2) as well as its low transcriptional activity after ERs activation. However, in vivo animal studies have demonstrated that it can interfere with endocrine signaling pathways at low doses during fetal, neonatal or perinatal periods as well as in adulthood. In addition, mounting evidence suggests a variety of pathways through which BPA can elicit cellular responses at very low concentrations with the same or even higher efficiency than E2. Thus, the purpose of the present review is to analyze with substantiated scientific evidence the strong estrogenic activity of BPA when it acts through alternative mechanisms of action at least in certain cell types.
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