A further study on the reliability of toxicokinetic parameters for predicting hepatotoxicity in rats receiving a 28-day repeated administration of DDT.

We previously demonstrated a good correlation between the increased relative liver weight caused by DDT and the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of DDT or the total DDT (T-DDT) in plasma and liver of rats in a 7-day repeated dose study at 1000 ppm. To confirm the reliability of AUC for predicting toxic responses at different dose levels, we conducted a further 28-day repeated dose study of p,p'-DDT in male F344 rats at dietary levels of 50, 160, and 500 ppm. Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites in plasma, brain, liver, and fat for each dose group were measured at various time intervals during the study. The concentrations of DDT and T-DDT in plasma and liver were compared with their AUCs in relation to hepatotoxic responses including increased relative liver weight, microsomal enzyme induction (CYP2B1), and inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication. The coefficient (R(2)) values of each toxic response in correlation with AUCs were generally much higher than those with concentrations at any dose levels, although the R(2) values vary considerably among toxic parameters. These results have confirmed that the AUC of DDT or T-DDT in plasma or liver is a reliable marker for predicting hepatotoxicity caused by DDT in repeated dose studies.

A comparative study on the reliablility of toxicokinetic parameters for predicting hepatotoxicity of DDT in rats receiving a single or repeated administration.

A comparative study on the reliability of toxicokinetic parameters for predicting hepatotoxicity was conducted in male F344 rats receiving a single (106 mg/kg by gavage) or 7-day repeated (1000 ppm in feed, 97 mg/kg/day) administration of p,p'-DDT. DDT was selected as the test substance because it is known as a hepatotoxic agent and its metabolic pathway is well documented. Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites (DDE and DDD) in the plasma, brain, and liver were measured at various time intervals during the study and the results were compared with the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in relation to hepatotoxic response. Increases in the absolute and relative (ratio to body weight) liver weights were observed as a typical toxic response after a single or repeated exposure to DDT. The coefficient (R2) of correlation between the increases in the relative liver weight and the concentrations or AUC of DDT and its metabolites in the plasma and liver was estimated. The values of R2 between the relative liver weight and AUC of DDT or the total DDT (T-DDT) in the plasma and liver were found to be more consistent and higher than those with their concentrations in the repeated dose study. In addition, the R2 values in correlation with their AUCs after a single exposure were lower than those in the repeated dose study. These results indicate that the AUC of DDT or T-DDT in the plasma and liver would be more reliable than their concentrations for predicting hepatotoxicity caused by DDT, especially in the repeated dose study.