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Posted on Jan 23, 2014, 6 a.m.
Suspected to be an endocrine dusruptor, German researchers identify another health-related danger of Bisphenol A (BPA).
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic compound commonly found in plastics and the linings of food cans. The chemical has been the focus of recent concerns as data suggests that BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor in the human body, alters the body's hormonal balance by replicating the activity of naturally occurring estrogen. Raphael Stoll, from the Ruhr Universitat (Germany), and colleagues have discovered that BPA affects certain enzymes within the cells known as small GTPases, which are responsible for transmitting signals within the cell. These enzymes normally occur in two states: the active form when bound to the GTP molecule; and the inactive form when bound to GDP – a lower-energy form of GTP. These researchers have found that BPA binds to small GTPases, thereby preventing them from exchanging GDP for GTP – and suggesting a new mechanism of action of BPA.
Miriam Schopel, Katharina F. G. Jockers, Peter M. Duppe, Jasmin Autzen, Veena N. Potheraveedu, Raphael Stoll, et al. “Bisphenol A Binds to Ras Proteins and Competes with Guanine Nucleotide Exchange: Implications for GTPase-Selective Antagonist. “J. Med. Chem., 2013, 56 (23), pp 9664–9672.
