Insights into the role of melatonin on the reproductive system toxicity induced by bisphenol A: a systematic review of preclinical studies

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, changes many physiological functions of the body, especially the reproductive system. The malfunction of the reproductive system after BPA exposure is one of the causes of infertility reasons. BPA disrupts reproductive functions by elevating oxidative mediators and declining antioxidant enzymes, altering sex hormones, and inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. The present study focuses on the protective effects of melatonin against BPA-induced male and female reproductive alterations. A systematic literature review was conducted up to October 2023 using PRISMA principles in electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Considering the study purpose, the search keywords were selected and used to search the titles and abstracts. After screening, 19 pertinent papers were selected from 91 publications based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The literature showed that melatonin plus BPA protects reproductive cells via multiple mechanisms, including reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and modulation of mitochondrial function. Furthermore, most indicated melatonin’s beneficial effects on the histopathology of reproductive tissues. Also, melatonin induced its protective effects through direct interaction with hormone receptors against BPA-induced hormonal changes. This study indicates evidence of the protective role of melatonin on reproductive injuries and infertility caused by BPA.

Keywords:

• Apoptosis
• Bisphenol A
• melatonin
• oxidative stress
• reproductive system

Author contributions

Behnaz Bameri (BB) and Maryam Armandeh (MAr) gave the idea and drafted the manuscript. BB and Mahban Rahimifard (MR), Hamed Haghi-Aminjan (HHA) did the literature search and screening. Mahshid Ataei (MAt), Mahedeh Samadi (MS), and Mohammad Reza Hooshangi Shayesteh (MRHS) contributed to the development of the selection criteria and data extraction criteria. HHA drafted figures. MR, Shokoufeh Hassani (SH), Mahdi Gholami (MG), and Marzieh Daniali (MD) provided manuscript comprehensive revision. MR provided English revision. Mohammad Abdollahi (MA), HHA, and MR supervised the whole study. All authors read and approved the final version.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and Ardabil University of Medical Sciences (ARUMS) for providing the digital library facilities to search the literature.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.