Effect of chlordecone exposure on thermoregulation in the rat

Intraperitoneal administration of chlordecone (20-80 mg/kg) caused a dose-related fall in the rectal temperatures of rats at ambient temperatures of 8 and 22 degrees C. The chlordecone-induced hypothermia was brought about by a decrease in metabolism. The chlordecone hypothermia was antagonized by pretreatment of animals with haloperidol (a dopaminergic receptor antagonist), but not by phentolamine (an alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonist), propranolol (a beta-adrenergic antagonist), atropine (a cholinergic receptor antagonist), or p-chlorophenylalanine (a serotonin depletor). In addition, the dopamine levels in the hypothalamus were elevated significantly when evaluated 1 h after an intraperitoneal dose of chlordecone. The data suggest that systemic administration of chlordecone may act through the dopaminergic mechanisms in the hypothalamus to induce hypothermia (or decreased metabolic heat production) in rats.