Insights into the accumulation and hepatobiliary transport of bisphenols (BPs) in liver and bile

Bisphenols (BPs) are widely distributed in daily life as typical endocrine disruptors. In this study, we examined the distribution of bisphenol A (BPA) and BPA alternatives in liver (n = 149) and bile (n = 102) tissues from the patients with liver Cancer, and calculated the hepatobiliary transport efficiency of BPs (T_B-L). Seven BPs were detected in both liver (median: 0.859 ng/g; range: 0.0200-26.7 ng/g) and bile (median: 0.307 ng/mL; range: 0.0200-26.7 ng/mL), and BPA was the predominant in both liver (mean: 1.89 ng/g) and bile (mean: 1.65 ng/mL). The T_B-L of BPs was reported for the first time and found to be negatively correlated with the molecular weight and Log K_ow of BPs. Furthermore, BPA and ∑BPs in liver showed a significant negative correlation with age, and a significant difference was found in BPs in liver and bile in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with different genders (p < 0.05). For liver function indicators, levels of BPs showed significant positive correlation with γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), especially BPBP levels in bile. This suggests that BPs may have some correlation with hepatocellular carcinoma. This is the first report on distribution characteristics of BPs in the liver and bile of hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and is the first study to report the hepatobiliary transport efficiency of BPs. The results should contribute to the understanding of BPs accumulation in the liver and bile and further relationship with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BPs; Bile; Hepatobiliary transport efficiency; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver; Liver function biomarkers.