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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Isolation of Sertoli Cells and Peritubular Cells from Rat Testes
Published on: February 8, 2016
Signaling related with biphasic effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on Sertoli cell proliferation: a comparative proteomic
Li-Chen Ge1, Zhuo-Jia Chen2, Hao Liu3
1Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 132 Waihuandong Road, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Background:
Biphasic effects on cell proliferation of bisphenol A (BPA) can occur at lesser or greater exposures. Sertoli cells play a pivotal role in supporting proliferation and differentiation of germ cells. The mechanisms responsible for inverse effects of great and low concentrations of BPA on Sertoli cell proliferation need further study.
Methods:
We utilized proteomic study to identify the protein expression changes of Sertoli TM4 cells treated with 10(-8)M and 10(-5)M BPA. The further mechanisms related to mitochondria, energy metabolism and oxidative stress were investigated by qRT-PCR and Western-blotting analysis.
Results:
Proteomic studies identified 36 proteins and two major clusters of proteins including energy metabolism and oxidative stress expressed with opposite changes in Sertoli cells treated with 10(-8)M and 10(-5)M BPA, respectively, for 24h. Exposure to 10(-5)M BPA resulted in greater oxidative stress and then inhibited cell proliferation, while ROS scavenger NAC effectively blocked these effects. Exposure to 10(-8)M BPA caused higher intercellular ATP, greater activities of mitochondria, and resulted in significant proliferation of TM4 cells, while oligomycin A, an inhibitor of ATP synthase, abolished these growth advantages.
Conclusions:
Our study demonstrated that micromolar BPA inhibits proliferation of Sertoli cells by elevating oxidative stress while nanomolar BPA stimulates proliferation by promoting energy metabolism.
General Significance:
Micromolar BPA inhibits cell proliferation by elevating oxidative stress while nanomolar BPA stimulates cell proliferation by promoting energy metabolism.
