Differential and non-uniform tissue and brain distribution of two distinct 14C-hexachlorobiphenyls in weanling rats

Excretion and tissue retention of a coplanar and a non-coplanar hexachlorobiphenyl (HxCB) were determined 48 h after a single intraperitoneal (ip) dose of 8 mg/kg radiolabeled [14C]-HxCBs to weanling male and female Long-Evans rats. The objective was to understand the involvement of initial target organs of chlorobiphenyl (CB) accumulation following acute exposure in immature animals. During the short interval, both HxCBs remained sequestered predominantly in mesenteric fat (compared to subcutaneous fat) and less than 1% of the doses were excreted. Excretion was 4- to 8-fold lower than adult rats. Coplanar CB 169 (3,3',4,4',5,5'-HxCB) did not accumulate appreciably in the brain, but was retained at 3-fold higher levels in the liver than was non-coplanar CB 153 (2,2',4,4',5,5'-HxCB). Accumulation of 14C-CB 153 in brains was 4- to 9-fold higher than that of 14C-CB 169 and was adequate to detect non-uniform distribution in serial cryostat sections by phosphor imaging autoradiography. The autoradiographs showed a higher CB 153-derived radioactivity associated with fiber tracts throughout the brain. Specifically, the corpus callosum, internal and external capsules, medial lemniscus, tegmentum of the mesencephalon and metencephalon, and cerebellar peduncles showed significantly higher 14C-CB 153 than the other structures. The 14C-CB 153 was not found in the ventricular system and vascular spaces. These results suggest for the first time that an ortho-substituted PCB congener accumulated preferentially in brain in a structure-specific manner when compared to a non-ortho-substituted PCB congener.