Hexachlorobenzene-induced renal maldevelopment in CD-1 mice and CD rats

Enlarged kidneys and hydronephrosis were observed in day-15 post-partum (pp) CD-1 mouse pups from dams treated with 10 or 50 mg hexachlorobenzene (HCB) per kg body weight (bw) on days 6-16 of gestation. Additional studies showed that enlarged kidneys occurred also on days 1 and 20 pp. CD rat pups from dams exposed to 10 mg HCB per kg bw on days 15-20 of gestation had enlarged kidneys on day 5 pp but not on days 10 or 20. In the CD rat, there was a significant increase in the kidney:bw ratio and the liver:bw ratio for the HCB-exposed pups at all three time periods. Pre- and postnatal exposure to HCB resulted in renal maldevelopment in CD-1 mice and CD rats in terms of enlarged kidneys and hydronephrosis.