[3H]benzo[a]pyrene utilization in rats following tracheal implant exposure

Open-ended rat tracheal implants (OETI) were exposed to 40 micrograms [3H]benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-gelatin pellets and the 3H activity in the OETI, the host's tissues and excretia was determined 3-96 h after insertion of the pellets. The radioactivity in the OETI reached near peak activity by 3 h, and decreased almost 10-fold by 24 h. Most of the activity was associated with parent B[a]P throughout the 95 h. The 3H activity in the surrounding tissue also was mostly associated with B[a]P, but the 3H activity in the liver, kidney, blood and urine was mostly associated with water-soluble plus conjugated metabolites. In the feces, 68% of the 3H activity was in B[a]P at 3 h, but mostly organic as well as water-soluble plus conjugated metabolites were extracted from it throughout the remaining 96 h. Forty-eight hours after insertion of the B[a]P pellets, the feces contained almost 16% of the total 3H activity. Pre-exposure of the OETI to B[a]P for 4 days before insertion of the [3H]B[a]P pellets stimulated metabolism of B[a]P in the tracheas approximately 2-fold, but had no significant effect on the host tissues.