Estrogen Receptor‐alpha Expression in Striatal Tissue for Future Use in Studying the Effects of Bisphenol A in the Mammalian Brain

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that leaches out of some food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic and into our food. BPA has structural similarities to estrogen, a hormone commonly associated with the reproductive system that also has non‐reproductive functions. For instance, estrogen affects the striatum, the brain region that controls the motor system, and the hippocampus, the brain region that controls learning and memory. Estrogen affects these brain regions by binding to estrogen receptor‐alpha (ERα). In the studies presented here, ERα protein was detected using immunoassays of protein extracts from these brain regions from adult female rats and 6–8 days old male and female rats. It was determined that ERα is present in both the striatum and the hippocampus. However, the amount of ERα expressed depends on the type of tissue. Overall, female striatum expressed more ERα than male striatum. Surprisingly, preliminary experiments indicate that ERα expression was greater in striatum than in hippocampus. Because ERα was shown to be present in striatal and hippocampal tissue, the next step is to determine if ERα is present in cultured neuronal cell lines from the striatum and hippocampus. If so, the neurons can be exposed to BPA, and the effects of BPA on molecular functions in these brain regions can be observed. This work was supported by funds from the Florence M. Rooney endowment at CSB/SJU, a CSB/SJU Professional Development grant (DGS), and the CSB/SJU Undergraduate Research Program.