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Title: Biological effect of PCBs, PCQs and PCDFs present in the oil causing Yusho and Yu-Cheng

Journal Article · · Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3429878· OSTI ID:5414652

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were daily given orally for 22 days a regimen consisting of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 1 mg/day; polychlorinated quaterphenyls (PCQs), 1 mg/day; polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), 10 ..mu..g/day; or a mixture of PCBs, PCQs and PCDFs (Mix-1, 1 mg + 1 mg + 10 ..mu..g/day). Female cynomolgus monkeys were daily administered PCBs (5 mg), PCQs (5 mg) or a mixture (Mix-2) containing 5 mg PCBs + 20 ..mu..g PCDFs for 20 weeks. The PCB-treated rats and monkeys showed hepatic hypertrophy, immunosuppression and increased drug-metabolizing enzyme activities in hepatic microsomes, but were devoid of the dermal symptoms characteristic of Yusho. PCQs caused an increase in drug-metabolizing enzyme activities in hepatic microsomes and immunosuppression in monkeys, but these effects were much smaller than those found with PCBs treatment. On the other hand, treatment with PCDF or Mix-1 or Mix-2 caused hypertrophy of the liver, immunosuppression, increase in drug-metabolizing enzyme activities of hepatic microsome to much greater extent than observed with PCBs. In addition PCDFs and the mixtures containing PCDFs caused weight loss and thymic atrophy. PCDFs and Mix-2-treated monkeys showed the dermal symptoms that are characteristic of Yusho patients but were not observed in monkeys treated with PCBs and PCQs alone. These results suggest that PCDFs are the primary causative agent of Yusho.

Research Organization:
National Osaka Hospital, Japan
OSTI ID:
5414652
Journal Information:
Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States), Vol. 59
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English