Bisphenol A and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of Epidemiologic, Functional, and Early Life Factors
Open Access
- 15 January 2021
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (2), 716
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020716
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterised by insulin resistance and eventual pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, resulting in persistent high blood glucose levels. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as bisphenol A (BPA) are currently under scrutiny as they are implicated in the development of metabolic diseases, including T2DM. BPA is a pervasive EDC, being the main constituent of polycarbonate plastics. It can enter the human body by ingestion, through the skin, and cross from mother to offspring via the placenta or breast milk. BPA is a xenoestrogen that alters various aspects of beta cell metabolism via the modulation of oestrogen receptor signalling. In vivo and in vitro models reveal that varying concentrations of BPA disrupt glucose homeostasis and pancreatic β-cell function by altering gene expression and mitochondrial morphology. BPA also plays a role in the development of insulin resistance and has been linked to long-term adverse metabolic effects following foetal and perinatal exposure. Several epidemiological studies reveal a significant association between BPA and the development of insulin resistance and impaired glucose homeostasis, although conflicting findings driven by multiple confounding factors have been reported. In this review, the main findings of epidemiological and functional studies are summarised and compared, and their respective strengths and limitations are discussed. Further research is essential for understanding the exact mechanism of BPA action in various tissues and the extent of its effects on humans at environmentally relevant doses.This publication has 160 references indexed in Scilit:
- Perinatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Adult Glucose Homeostasis: Identifying Critical Windows of ExposurePLOS ONE, 2013
- Potential External Contamination with Bisphenol A and Other Ubiquitous Organic Environmental Chemicals during Biomonitoring Analysis: An Elusive Laboratory ChallengeEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2013
- Exposure to bisphenol A induces dysfunction of insulin secretion and apoptosis through the damage of mitochondria in rat insulinoma (INS-1) cellsCell Death & Disease, 2013
- Differential Estrogenic Actions of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Bisphenol A, Bisphenol AF, and Zearalenone through Estrogen Receptor α and β in VitroEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2012
- Relationship between Urinary Bisphenol A Levels and Diabetes MellitusJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2011
- Membrane Disruption and Early Events in the Aggregation of the Diabetes Related Peptide IAPP from a Molecular PerspectiveAccounts of Chemical Research, 2011
- Persistent Organic Pollutant Exposure Leads to Insulin Resistance SyndromeEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2010
- Within-person variability in urinary bisphenol A concentrations: Measurements from specimens after long-term frozen storageEnvironmental Research, 2009
- Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Nonfood Exposure, or BothEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2009
- The beta cell lesion in type 2 diabetes: there has to be a primary functional abnormalityDiabetologia, 2009