The Effects of BPA, BPS, and BPF on Bovine Granulosa Cells, Oocytes, and Sperm

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogs bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), have been associated with negative reproductive outcomes in granulosa cells, oocytes, and spermatozoa. Emerging evidence suggests that bisphenols elicit their effects by inducing oxidative stress, caused by the imbalance between antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This thesis investigates how BPA, BPS and BPF affect reproductive capabilities of gametes and surrounding granulosa cells through a non-traditional mechanism of increasing oxidative stress by examining expression of key antioxidant enzymes SOD1, SOD2, GPX1, GPX4 and CAT. Results of this thesis support BPA’s ability to elicit oxidative stress in oocytes and granulosa cells, and to a lesser extent in spermatozoa, but suggest that BPS and BPF act through different mechanisms.