PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

BPA increases risk of cancer in human prostate tissue

2014-01-08
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Sharon Parmet
sparmet@uic.edu
312-413-2695
University of Illinois at Chicago
BPA increases risk of cancer in human prostate tissue Fetal exposure to a commonly used plasticizer found in products such as water bottles, soup can liners and paper receipts, can increase the risk for prostate cancer later in life, according to a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago published Jan. 7 online in the journal Endocrinology.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is widely used to soften plastics. Steering clear of the chemical is nearly impossible, says Gail Prins, professor of physiology at UIC and lead author of the paper.

"Previous studies have shown that people who avoided all contact with plastics or other BPA-containing objects for up to a month or more still had BPA in their urine, which means they must have come into contact with BPA in the last 24 to 48 hours, since it clears the body rather quickly," said Prins, who is director of the UIC andrology laboratory. "It's very hard to avoid."

Exposure of the fetus to BPA in utero is of particular concern, because the chemical, which mimics the hormone estrogen, has been linked to several kinds of cancer, including prostate cancer, in rodent models. The new findings show that human prostate tissue is also susceptible.

"Our research provides the first direct evidence that exposure to BPA during development, at the levels we see in our day-to-day lives, increases the risk for prostate cancer in human prostate tissue," Prins said. "The findings of adverse effects of BPA in human tissue are highly relevant and should encourage agencies like the Food & Drug Administration to re-evaluate their policies in the near future."

Prins investigated the effect of BPA on human cells by implanting human prostate stem cells taken from deceased young-adult men into mice. Prostate stem cells are very long-lived. They arise during early fetal development and produce and maintain a man's prostate tissue throughout his life.

To mimic exposure to BPA during embryonic development, for two weeks following implantation the mice were fed BPA -- in amounts in line with those seen in pregnant American women -- as the cells produced humanized prostate tissue.

"The amount of BPA we fed the mice was equivalent to levels ingested by the average person," Prins said. "We didn't feed them exorbitantly high doses."

After the tissue was allowed to mature for one month, the mice were given estrogen to mimic the naturally rising estrogen levels seen in aging men. This rise in estrogen later in life is one of the known drivers of prostate cancer.

Tissue was collected after two to four months and analyzed for prostate disease. Prins found that a third of tissue samples taken from mice fed BPA had either pre-cancerous lesions or prostate cancer, compared to only 12 percent in a control group of mice fed oil. If the prostate stem cells were exposed to BPA before implantation and again as they produced prostate tissue in the mice, 45 percent of the tissue samples had pre-cancerous lesions or cancer.

"We believe that BPA actually reprograms the stem cells to be more sensitive to estrogen throughout life, leading to a life-long increased susceptibility to diseases including cancer," Prins said.

INFORMATION:

Co-authors of the study are UIC medical student Wen Yang Hu; Guang-Bin Shi; Dan-Ping Hu, research specialist in the UIC College of Medicine department of urology; Gunnan Li, graduate teaching assistant in the department of medicinal chemistry & pharmacognosy, UIC College of Pharmacy; UIC graduate student Ke Huang; Jason Nelles, Andre Kajdacsy-Balla, director of transdisciplinary pathology in the UIC College of Medicine; Richard Van Breemen, professor of medicinal chemistry in the UIC College of Pharmacy. Shuk-Mei Ho, of the University of Cincinnati and Cheryl Lyn Walker, of the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A & M.

This study was funded by grants RC2-ES018758, RC2-ES018789, R01-ES-015584, and RO1-CA172220 from the National Institutes of Health.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study estimates tobacco control in US has saved 8 million lives in last 50 years

2014-01-08
Study estimates tobacco control in US has saved 8 million lives in last 50 years Researchers estimate that tobacco control in the U.S. since 1964 has been associated with the avoidance of an estimated 8 million premature smoking-attributable deaths, with the ...

Overall prevalence of smoking has decreased globally, although number of smokers has increased

2014-01-08
Overall prevalence of smoking has decreased globally, although number of smokers has increased Since 1980, the global prevalence of daily tobacco smoking has declined by an estimated 25 percent for men and 42 percent for women, although because of population growth, ...

Adults with mental illness have lower rate of decline in smoking

2014-01-08
Adults with mental illness have lower rate of decline in smoking In recent years, the decline in smoking among individuals with mental illness was significantly less than among those without mental illness, although the rates of quitting smoking were greater ...

Combination therapy does not improve ability to quit smoking after 1 year

2014-01-08
Combination therapy does not improve ability to quit smoking after 1 year Among cigarette smokers, the combined use of the smoking cessation medications varenicline and bupropion, compared with varenicline alone, resulted in better rates of smoking abstinence ...

Longer-term use of smoking cessation medication effective among patients with mental illness

2014-01-08
Longer-term use of smoking cessation medication effective among patients with mental illness Among smokers with schizophrenia or bipolar disease who achieved initial smoking abstinence with a standard 12-week course of the smoking cessation drug varenicline, an additional ...

Study examines prevalence of smoking among health care professionals

2014-01-08
Study examines prevalence of smoking among health care professionals A survey of health care professionals finds that in 2010-2011, current smoking among this group, except for licensed practical nurses, was lower than the general population, and that the majority ...

Unique protein interaction may drive most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease

2014-01-08
Unique protein interaction may drive most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease Gladstone findings challenge conventional wisdom; point to new therapeutic strategies San Francisco, CA—January 7, 2013—The most devastating aspect of Parkinson's disease ...

Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers

2014-01-08
Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have discovered a promising strategy for treating cancers that are caused by one of the most common cancer-causing changes in cells. The discovery offers ...

Fit teenagers are less likely to have heart attacks in later life

2014-01-08
Fit teenagers are less likely to have heart attacks in later life Researchers in Sweden have found an association between a person's fitness as a teenager and their risk of heart attack in later life. In a study of nearly 750,000 men, they found that the more aerobically ...

Fight or flight and the evolution of pain

2014-01-08
Fight or flight and the evolution of pain Recent highlights in Molecular Biology and Evolution Hard wired into the survival mechanisms of all animals is the perception of pain. Different stimuli, such as heat or cold, foul odors, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Children fast from clear liquids much longer before surgery than guidelines recommend, large study shows

Food insecurity, loneliness can increase the risk of developing chronic pain after surgery

Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth

New global burden of disease study: Mortality declines, youth deaths rise, widening health inequities

Chemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum

Individualized perioperative blood pressure management in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery

Proactive vs reactive treatment of hypotension during surgery

Different types of depression linked to different cardiometabolic diseases

Ketogenic diet may protect against stress experienced in the womb

Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, new study finds

Artificial intelligence emerging as powerful patient safety tool in pediatric anesthesia

Mother’s ZIP code, lack of access to prenatal care can negatively impact baby’s health at birth, new studies show

American Society of Anesthesiologists honors John M. Zerwas, M.D., FASA, with Distinguished Service Award

A centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

[Press-News.org] BPA increases risk of cancer in human prostate tissue