Gestational bisphenol A exposure induces fatty liver development in male offspring mice through the inhibition of HNF1b and upregulation of PPARγ

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The effects of gestational BPA exposure on hepatic lipid accumulation in offspring are not fully understood. Here, we investigate the sex-dependent effects of gestational BPA exposure on hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism in the offspring of mice to reveal the mechanisms underlying gestational BPA exposure-associated NAFLD. Pregnant mice were administered gavage with or without 1 μg kg −1 day −1 BPA at embryonic day 7.5 (E7.5)–E16.5. Hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism were evaluated in these models. Both male and female offspring mice exhibited hepatic fatty liver after BPA treatment. Lipid accumulation and dysfunction of glucose metabolism were observed in male offspring. We revealed abnormal expression of lipid regulators in the liver and that inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) repressed hepatic lipid accumulation induced by gestational BPA exposure. We also found a sex-dependent decrease of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1b (HNF1b) expression in male offspring. The transcriptional repression of PPARγ by HNF1b was confirmed in L02 cells. Downregulation of HNF1b, upregulation of PPARγ, and subsequent upregulation of hepatic lipid accumulation were essential for NAFLD development in male offspring gestationally exposed to BPA as well as BPA-exposed adult male mice. Dysregulation of the HNF1b/PPARγ pathway may be involved in gestational BPA exposure-induced NAFLD in male offspring. These data provide new insights into the mechanism of gestational BPA exposure-associated sex-dependent glucose and lipid metabolic dysfunction. Graphical abstract Schematic of the mechanism of gestational BPA exposure-induced glucose and lipid metabolic dysfunction.