Research Paper: Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Exposure During Differentiation Alters the Proliferation-Maturation Balance in Stem-Cell islets

Congratulations June, Thomas and Lucas for a new article accepted for publication in Toxicological Sciences!

Here, Thomas proposes a new in vitro research model, namely stem cell islets (SC-islets), to be used in toxicological sciences to study the developmental effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

June and Thomas exposed SC-islets to a mixture of bisphenol A, bisphenol S, and trans-nonachlor during in vitro differentiation. EDC exposed SC-islets presented an altered transcriptional profile, characterized by reduced expression of beta-cell maturity markers, increased proliferation markers, and elevated KI67-positive cell counts. These features resembled earlier developmental stages and deviated from mature human islet profiles, suggesting a delay in differentiation.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS) are plasticizers to which most of the population is exposed via digestion and dermal contact. They have the ability to cross the blood-placenta barrier, and are linked to development of T2D and beta-cell failure. Trans-nonachlor is a “legacy” compound with a background exposure that is ever-present in the human population, that was also linked to development of T2D.