Reduction in semen quality after mixed exposure to bisphenol A and isobutylparaben in utero and during lactation periods

This study was performed to determine the effect of low-level exposure to a mixture of bisphenol A (BPA) and isobutylparaben (IBP) on male reproduction. Corn oil, BPA (0.05 mg/kg/day), IBP (2.5 mg/kg/day), and a BPA/IBP mixture (BPA 0.05 mg/kg/day and IBP 2.5 mg/kg/day) were administered once daily by oral gavage to female rats for 5 weeks from gestation day 6 to lactation day 21. Male pups were killed at postnatal day 70 and examined for developmental characteristics, body weight, testis and epididymis weight, steroid hormones, epididymal sperm count and motility, and histological changes in testis and epididymis. The BPA/IBP mixture produced a significant downregulation of epididymal sperm count and motility. BPA or IBP alone also reduced epididymal sperm count and motility compared to control. These results indicate that exposure to low-level BPA/IBP mixture, which showed no notable physiological response in early life stages, can decrease semen quality in adulthood.