Figure 1. Overview of BPA effects on energy metabolism.
2.1. Effect of BPA on Body Weight
In rodents, maternal exposure to BPA was shown to increase postnatal body weights
[16,18,19,20][16][18][19][20]. The dose–response relationship between BPA exposure and body weight gain often follows a non-monotonic inverted-U shape effect with an increase in body and fat mass in response to low doses (below the NOAEL) that were not always observed at high doses
[16,19,20][16][19][20]. These non-monotonic effects are not always seen in both sexes. In females exposed in utero, adipose tissue mass is increased at low doses of BPA (0.26 mg/kg/j) but not at higher doses (2.72 mg/kg/j). In males, adipose tissue mass is increased proportionally to BPA exposure dose
[15]. Body weight increase is often more pronounced and persistent in female offspring. This sexual dimorphism is not seen in all experimental conditions. In the study by Wei et al., an increased body weight of rats exposed in utero to BPA is observed, independently of sex, in standard feeding conditions and under a high-fat diet (HFD) or carbohydrate diet
[21]. Studies conducted on adults revealed that the exposure of gestating mice to BPA (100 µg/kg bw/d) leads to an increased body weight
[22]. Some studies revealed a decreased weight following perinatal exposure to BPA and others revealed no effects on body weight
[23,24,25][23][24][25]. The differences obtained by the different studies mentioned above could be explained by the strains used, differing from one study to another; some strains were more sensitive to estrogenomimetic processes that mediate at least in part the effect of BPA on energy hoemostasis
[26]. In addition, the exposure window, duration and mode of administration of BPA
[26], and the type of feed
[27] are key factors to take into consideration. Therefore, the impact of BPA on body weight gain can differ according to experiments. However, observations on key organs of energetic metabolism (liver, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and pancreas) support the fact that BPA is not only an endocrine disruptor but also a metabolic disruptor. Since the route of exposure to BPA is mainly through food and beverage containers, the more an individual consumes processed foods stored in plastic containers, the more they will be exposed to BPA.
2.2. Effect of BPA on the Central Nervous Functions Related to Energy Homeostasis
Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) are anorexigenic neurons that inhibit food intake and increase metabolic rate, while agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are orexigenic neuropeptides that stimulate appetite and reduce metabolic rate. These two sets of neurons form the hypothalamic melanocortin system, the physiological system that regulates feeding and energy balance. The activity of the melanocortin system is controlled by hormones, such as estradiol, leptin, ghrelin, and is sexually dimorphic. MacKay et al. analyzed whether in utero BPA exposure could alter the development of the melanocortin system and be linked to the obesogenic effect of BPA
[28]. Th
ise study revealed impaired glucose tolerance in males exposed to BPA associated with reduced POMC neuron innervation. This effect was associated with increased NPY and AgRP expression in ARC when mice were fed with HFD. In females, BPA exposure induced increased body weight gain, food intake, adiposity and leptin concentrations, associated with reduced POMC mRNA expression in the ARC when fed an HFD diet. In BPA-exposed females, estrogen receptor α presents similar patterns of expression than in males, suggesting a masculinizing effect of BPA. Th
ise study demonstrates that in utero exposure to BPA alters the structure of the hypothalamic energy balance system and increases vulnerability to developing metabolic disorders. In 2017, the same authors extended their study to determine whether their prior observations were simply consequences of obesity or a phenotype produced by BPA exposure
[29]. Therefore, they studied leptin sensitivity and hypothalamic structures in BPA-exposed animals before the onset of obesity or metabolic phenotypes. BPA-exposed animals were resistant to leptin-induced suppression of food intake, body weight loss, and hypothalamic POMC upregulation. Both males and females had a reduced density of POMC projections in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. These results suggest that BPA may exert its effects through developmental programming of the melanocortin system, permanently altering the neurobiology of metabolic homeostasis. Salehi et al. explored whether the effect of BPA on POMC neurons was direct by using different cell lines, including POMC-expressing cell models
[30]. Th
ise study demonstrated that exposure to BPA significantly induced the mRNA levels of POMC in primary cultures and cell lines. Furthermore, cell treatments with anti-inflammatory compounds, or with a PPARγ antagonist, abolished BPA-mediated POMC induction, indicating that BPA may have direct effects on hypothalamic POMC neurons through neuro-inflammatory mechanisms and PPARγ receptor.
2.3. BPA, a Disruptor of Carbohydrate Homeostasis
Many studies, mainly conducted by Angel Nadal’s team, showed that exposure to BPA leads to the dysregulation of carbohydrate metabolism by a mechanism involving estrogen receptors in Langherans islets
[22,31,32,33,34,35][22][31][32][33][34][35]. In adult male mice, a few days of subcutaneaous exposure (1 and 4 days) to low doses of BPA (10 and 100 µg/kg/day) induces an alteration of glucose tolerance, hyper insulinemia, and increased the content of insulin in β-cells
[33,36][33][36]. The same effect was observed in vitro in the presence of BPA at concentrations of 1 nM and 10 nM
[36]. Langherans islets of adult mice orally exposed to 100 µg/kg/day of BPA present increased insulin secretion in response to glucose (
Figure 2)
[37].

Figure 2. Mode of action of BPA on pancreatic β-cells
[37]. This figure reports the mode of action of BPA on pancreatic beta cells. Low concentrations of BPA interact with Erα, Erβ and GPR30 receptors. ERα is involved in the regulation of pancreatic insulin biosynthesis in response to BPA. Erβ participates in the insulinotropic effect of BPA on pancreatic β-cells by rapidly decreasing KATP channel activity, enhancing glucose-induced [Ca
2+] signals and insulin release. GPR30 is a non-classical membrane estrogen receptor that may participate in the insulinotropic effect of BPA on pancreatic β-cells.
Mice exposed to BPA (10 µg/kg/day) during gestation period also developed persistent hyperinsulinemia. The offspring presented a predisposition to metabolic syndrome development at adulthood (insulin resistance, alteration of insulin secretion and calcium signaling in β-cells)
[22]. Similar results were observed in HFD-fed rats, which present earlier and exacerbated effects, mainly at low doses of BPA (50 µg/kg/day)
[21]. Moreover, β-cells of exposed animals presented structural defects. Mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum were hypertrophied. The proportion of mature secretory granules decreased in animals exposed to BPA fed with a standard diet and almost absent under HFD. In mice exposed to BPA and fed a HFD, pancreatic islets are disorganized and cells undergo pycnose (irreversible condensation of chromatin leading to necrosis of cells)
[21]. In addition, chronic exposure of β-cells (TC-6) to BPA modified the expression of key proteins involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress response
[38]. Unlike many observations suggesting that BPA is a weak agonist of estrogen receptors
[39], Alonso-Magdalena et al. revealed that BPA (1 nM range) could similarly mimic estradiol (E2) effects in β-cells
[33]. Non-genomic ERα is involved in the long-term effects of BPA by increasing gene transcription of insulin precursor via ERK1/2 phosphorylation
[36], whereas membrane ERβ is involved in pulsatile activity of insulin. Low doses of BPA (1 nM) rapidly decrease the activity of KATP channels via Erβ, which depolarizes the membrane and increases intracellular calcium levels and, therefore, induces insulin secretion
[32,37][32][37]. Other nuclear receptors could be involved, such as transmembrane domains receptors (RCPG). The RCPG GPR30/GPER, a target of BPA
[40] has recently been identified as a mediator of the effects of insulin in response to E2
[41].
BPA could also affect pancreatic α-cells. The exposure of α-cells to BPA (1 nM) mimics E2 effect by blocking the Ca
2+ effect involved in glucagon release. These effects could occur via estrogen membrane receptors and involve G proteins that activate nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase
[42].
These data suggest that, in the long run, exposure to BPA could be detrimental for β and α cell function and, therefore, be an important factor in the etiology of type II diabetes and development of insulin resistance.