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The objective of this study was to evaluate the reproductive risk associated with exposure of adult male Fisher-344 rats to inhaled benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Rats were assigned randomly to a treatment or control group. Treatment consisted of sub-chronic exposure of rats via inhalation to 75μg BaP/ m 3 , 4 hours daily for 60 days, while control animals were unexposed (UNC). Blood samples were collected immediately after the cessation of exposures (time 0) and subsequently at 24, 48, and 72 hrs, to assess the effect of bioavailable BaP on plasma testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations. Rats were sacrificed after the last blood collection. Testes were harvested, weighed and prepared for histology and morphometric analysis, and cauda epididymides were isolated for the determination of progressive motility and density of stored spermatozoa. BaP exposure reduced testis weight compared with UNC (Mean ± SE; 2.01 ± 0.11 vs. 3.04 ± 0.16 g; P< 0.025), and caused significant reductions in the components of the steroidogenic and spermatogenic compartments of the testis. Progressive motility and mean density of stored spermatozoa were reduced (P< 0.05). Plasma testosterone concentrations were decreased by two-thirds in BaPexposed rats throughout the time periods studied compared with those of their UNC counterparts (P< 0.05), concomitant with increased concentrations of LH in BaP-exposed rats (P< 0.05). These data suggest that sub-chronic exposure to inhaled BaP contribute to reduced testicular and epididymal function in exposed rats.

This study evaluated the effect of inhaled BaP on female reproductive function. Rats were exposed to 50, or 75 or 100 μg BaP/m3, four hours a day for 14 days via inhalation. Plasma E2, P4, LH and FSH concentrations were determined. Ovarian BaP metabolism and aryl hydrocarbon hydrolase (AHH) activity at proestrus were determined and fertility evaluations were conducted. Ovulation rate and number of pups/litter were reduced in rats exposed to 100 μg BaP/m3 compared with other treatment and control groups. Plasma concentrations of E2, and LH were significantly reduced at proestrus in BaP-exposed versus those of controls whereas those of P4 were significantly reduced at diestrus I. The activity of AHH in ovarian and liver tissues and concentrations of BaP 7,8-diol and BaP 3,6-dione metabolites increased in an exposure concentration-dependent manner. These data suggest that exposure of rats to BaP prior to mating contributes to reduced ovarian function and fetal survival.

The metabolic fate of high doses of BaP is not fully established. To fill this important data need, a comprehensive metabolism, bioavailability, and toxicokinetic study has been undertaken to track the fate of BaP subsequent to single acute exposures. Doses of 100 mg/kg body weight, 0.1 mg/m 3 (equivalent to 19 mg/kg oral dose), and 4.5 µg/kg BaP were administered to 8-week-old male F-344 rats via oral, inhalation (nose only), and intravenous routes, respectively. Rats were sacrificed at 0, 0.5,1,2,4,6, 24, 48, and 72 hr postexposure. Blood,

Bioavailability and toxicokinetic studies are essential in order to establish dose-response relationships of widely distributed environmental toxicants such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Fischer 344 rats were exposed for 4 h (via nose-only inhalation) to aerosol exposure concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, and 2.5 mg/m(3) of BaP absorbed onto carbon black particles using a state-of-the-art model aerosol generation system. Nominal and chamber concentrations of the particulate aerosol were determined gravimetrically with a seven-stage cascade impactor. The average aerosol for the 3 exposure concentrations used in this study exhibited a trimodal distribution with 93% cumulative mass less than 15.85 microm, 89% cumulative mass less than 10 microm, 55.3% cumulative mass less than 2.5 microm, and 38% less than 1 microm. Fifty-five percent of the aerosol had a cumulative mass less than PM(2.5) and the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) -/+ geometric standard deviation (GSD) for this mode was 1.7 -/+ 0.085 microm. Plasma and lung samples were collected at 30, 60, 120, and 240 min postexposure. The concentrations of BaP parent compound and metabolites were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The toxicokinetic parameters were computed from the time course of plasma BaP concentration. The bioavailability of BaP increased as a function of exposure concentration, and toxicokinetic analysis indicates first-order pharmacokinetics for BaP. However, some toxicokinetic parameters such as clearance and volume of distribution remained constant throughout the duration of the postexposure period. BaP and its metabolite concentrations in plasma peaked at 1 h postexposure. At 240 min postexposure, only trace levels of BaP remained in the plasma. The BaP metabolites in the lung showed an identical trend where no parent compound was detected. Among the metabolites detected, BaP 4,5-, 7,8-, and 9,10-dihydrodiols, 3-OH-BaP, and 9-OH-BaP were predominant.

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