Gestational exposure to bisphenol analogues and kisspeptin levels in pregnant women and their children: A pregnancy-birth cohort study

Gestational exposure to bisphenol analogues (BPs)，especially bisphenol A (BPA), has been associated with adverse pregnancy-related outcomes and altered reproductive development of offspring, but the underlying mechanisms are not well documented. Kisspeptin, a key regulator of reproductive health, could be the potential target for endocrine disrupting compounds like BPs. Among 528 mother-child pairs, we investigated the associations of gestational BPs exposure with kisspeptin levels in two critical life stages, pregnancy and pre-puberty. Maternal BPs and kisspeptin concentrations were measured in urine samples collected in the third trimester. Children's urine samples were collected at 6-year visit and analyzed for kisspeptin levels. Associations were observed between BPA and its alternatives and lower kisspeptin in pregnant women but higher kisspeptin in their children. In contrast, TCBPA was suggestively associated with higher kisspeptin in pregnant women but lower kisspeptin in children. Our study provides the first epidemiologic evidence that gestational exposure to selected BPs may be associated with altered kisspeptin system in both pregnant women and their children, sheds some light on the potential mechanisms underlying the various reproductive health outcomes following gestational BPA exposure, and suggests potential reproductive toxicities of other BPs in humans.