Bisphenol A modulates the metabolic regulator oestrogen-related receptor-α in T-cells

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used plastics constituent that has been associated with endocrine, immune and metabolic effects. Evidence for how BPA exerts significant biological effects at chronic low levels of exposure has remained elusive. In adult men, exposure to BPA has been associated with higher expression of two nuclear receptors, oestrogen receptor-β (ERβ) and oestrogen-related-receptor-α (ERRα), in peripheral white blood cells in vivo. In this study, we explore the expression of ESR2 (ERβ) and ESRRA (ERRα) in human leukaemic T-cell lymphoblasts (Jurkat cells) exposed to BPA in vitro. We show that exposure to BPA led to enhanced expression of ESRRA within 6 h of exposure (mean±s.e.m.: 1.43±0.08-fold increase compared with the control, P<0.05). After 72 h, expression of ESRRA remained significantly enhanced at concentrations of BPA ≥1 nM. Oxidative metabolism of BPA by rat liver S9 fractions yields the potent oestrogenic metabolite, 4-methyl-2,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)pent-1-ene (MBP). Exposure of cells to 1-100 nM MBP increased the expression of both ESRRA (significantly induced, P<0.05, at 1, 10, 100 nM) and ESR2 (1.32±0.07-fold increase at 100 nM exposure, P<0.01). ERRα is a major control point for oxidative metabolism in many cell types, including T-cells. Following exposure to both BPA and MBP, we found that cells showed a decrease in cell proliferation rate. Taken together, these results confirm the bioactivity of BPA against putative T-cell targets in vitro at concentrations relevant to general human exposure.