Accumulation of PCT in Tissues of Mice after Long-Term Feeding of Kanechlor C

Abstract

Mice divided into groups were maintained on an experimental diet containing 20 to 200 ppm of polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT) for 3 or 6 months. The concentration of PCT in the liver, kidney, brain, skin, and adipose tissue was analyzed by means of gas chromatography with ECD to clarify the mode of distribution and the ratio of accumulation of PCT from the diet. Contrary to the case of polychlorinated biphenyls and some organochlorinated pesticides, PCT showed a tendency to accumulate much more in the liver than in adipose tissue when compared on wet tissue basis. From the statistical anlyses of the results obtained from all individual mice, it became obvious that the accumulation of PCT in adipose tissue was significantly correlated with that in each of other tissues. It is notable that the concentration of PCT in the liver became 4 to 10 times higher than that of PCT in the diet fed to mice in each group, and the accumulated level of PCT even in the brain was about 10% of the concentration in the diet.