Disposition and Metabolomic Effects of 2,2’,5,5’-Tetrachlorobiphenyl in Female Rats Following Intraperitoneal Exposure

Abstract

The disposition and toxicity of lower chlorinated PCBs (LC-PCBs) with less than five chlorine substituents have received little attention to date. This study characterizes the distribution of PCB 52, an LC-PCB found in indoor and outdoor air, three weeks after intraperitoneal exposure of female Sprague Dawley rats to 0, 1, 10, or 100 mg PCB 52/kg BW. PCB 52 exposure did not affect body or organ weights. PCB 52, measured using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), was detected in all tissue. Hydroxylated, sulfated, and methylated PCB metabolites, identified using GC-MS/MS and nontarget liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, were primarily found in the serum and liver of rats exposed to 100 mg/kg BW. Metabolomic analysis revealed minor effects on L-cysteine, glycine, cytosine, sphingosine, thymine, linoleic acid, orotic acid, L-histidine, and erythrose serum levels. Based on these results, PCB 52 toxicity studies need to account for its complex metabolism in vivo.