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The Toxic Influence of Bisphenol A on the Mouse Gut-Brain Axis

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound made in a variety of plastics, epoxy resins, dental sealants, and thermal printer paper. With all of these products being prevalent in society, BPA can easily trace into the environment. The major issue with BPA is that it is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). This means that the compound is capable of mimicking estrogen receptors like estradiol-α and estradiol-β because of its similar structure. BPA’s chemical structure similarity to endogenous hormones in the body allows it to harm the hormone functions of the body. A daily tolerable intake for BPA has been settled by multiple countries around the world, but low dosages of the chemical have still shown to be fatal toward the health of organisms starting from embryology. This experiment encompasses the effects of bisphenol A on the gut-brain axis, kidney, and liver of mice. Simultaneous Label-free Autofluorescence Multiharmonic (SLAM) microscopy, a technique developed by the Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory team here at UIUC, will be used in addition to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to differentiate between mice fed BPA and BPA-free water.

Author: 
Tay Porro
School: 
University of Illinois Chicago
Department: 
Biochemistry
Research Advisor: 
Dr. Stephen Boppart
Department of Research Advisor: 
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bioengineering, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Year of Publication: 
2022