The physiological impact of bisphenol A on the developmental and reproductive processes of Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under LD and SD photoperiods

Abstract

In this study, we examined the physiological impact of bisphenol A (BPA) on the developmental and reproductive processes of Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under 16L:8D (long day, LD) and 10L:14D (short day, SD) photoperiods. Larvae were continuously exposed to different concentrations of BPA (1, 10, and 100 μg/L) applied in their artificial diets, under LD and SD conditions. During LD photoperiod, increased pupal weights were observed in insects grown in culture media with the higher dose of 100 μg/L BPA. The morphological effects of BPA on the reproductive system of S. nonagrioides were also evaluated. Testis size was significantly decreased, while ovaries’ size was increased in BPA-treated animals. The sex ratio shifted in favor of females when the larvae were exposed to BPA. During SD photoperiod, the BPA exposure significantly decreased larval weight. Additionally, semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses were used to identify the effects of BPA in the transcriptional regulation of heat shock protein genes SnoHsp20.8, SnoHsc70, and SnoHsp83 during SD conditions. During diapause conditions, the expression levels of SnoHsp20.8 and SnoHsp83 were not affected by BPA, while SnoHsc70 mRNA levels were decreased. Here, we observed a differential impact of BPA during non-diapausing and diapausing conditions. Our results revealed the physiological impact of environmentally relevant concentrations of BPA in S. nonagrioides.

Keywords:

• bisphenol A
• endocrine disruption
• Sesamia nonagrioides
• diapause
• reproductive organs
• sex ratio

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.