Autoradiographic studies of [3H]zearalenone in mice

Whole body autoradiograms of male, spayed and pregnant female mice after injection of [3H]zearalenone showed a rapid excretion of radioactivity into the bile as well as the urine. Specific localization was found in oestrogen target organs as the uterus, interstitial cells of the testicle and the follicles of the ovary. Unlike natural oestrogens zearalenone and/or its metabolites were not found in the adrenal cortex and bronchi of the lungs. Detection of radioactivity in an increased amount of fluid in the pleural and peritoneal cavities suggests an additional site of action of zearalenone. In the pregnant mice used, radioactivity was found only in the foetuses of late pregnancy mainly in the kidney, bile and connective tissue.