Bisphenol S and bisphenol F are less disruptive to cardiac electrophysiology and potentially safer for use in medical products, as compared to bisphenol A

BackgroundBisphenol A (BPA) is a high-production volume chemical that is commonly used to manufacture consumer and medical-grade plastic products. Due to its ubiquity, the general population can incur daily environmental exposure to BPA, while heightened BPA exposure has been reported in intensive care patients and industrial workers. Due to health concerns, structural analogues are being explored as replacements for BPA. ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the direct nongenomic effects of BPA on cardiac electrophysiology and compare its safety profile to recently developed alternatives, including BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F). MethodsWhole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were performed on cell lines transfected with Nav1.5, hERG, or Cav1.2. Results of single channel experiments were validated by conducting electrophysiology studies on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) and intact, whole heart preparations. ResultsOf the chemicals tested, BPA was the most potent inhibitor of both fast (INa-P) and late (INa-L) sodium channel (IC50 = 55.3 and 23.6 M, respectively), L-type calcium channel (IC50 = 30.8 M) and hERG channel current (IC50 = 127 M). The inhibitory effects of BPA and BPF on L-type calcium channels were supported by microelectrode array recordings, which revealed shortening of the extracellular field potential (akin to QT interval). Further, BPA and BPF exposure impaired atrioventricular conduction in intact, whole heart experiments. BPS did not alter any of the cardiac electrophysiology parameters tested. DiscussionResults of this study demonstrate that BPA and BPF exert an immediate inhibitory effect on cardiac ion channels, and that BPS may be a safer alternative. Intracellular signaling or genomic effects of bisphenol analogues were not investigated; therefore, additional mechanistic studies are necessary to fully elucidate the safety profile of bisphenol analogues on the heart.