Relationship of lead, mercury, mirex, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene, and polychlorinated biphenyls to timing of menarche among Akwesasne Mohawk girls.

BACKGROUND: Children are commonly exposed at background levels to several ubiquitous environmental pollutants, such as lead and persistent organic pollutants, that have been linked to neurologic and endocrine effects. These effects have prompted concern about alterations in human reproductive development. Few studies have examined the effects of these toxicants on human sexual maturation at levels commonly found in the general population, and none has been able to examine multiple toxicant exposures. The aim of the current investigation was to examine the relationship between attainment of menarche and levels of 6 environmental pollutants to which children are commonly exposed at low levels, ie, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mirex, lead, and mercury. METHODS: This study was conducted with residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, a sovereign territory that spans the St Lawrence River and the boundaries of New York State and Ontario and Quebec, Canada. Since the 1950s, the St Lawrence River has been a site of substantial industrial development, and the Nation is currently adjacent to a US National Priority Superfund site. PCB, p,p'-DDE, HCB, and mirex levels exceeding the US Food and Drug Administration recommended tolerance limits for human consumption have been found in local animal species. The present analysis included 138 Akwesasne Mohawk Nation girls 10 to 16.9 years of age. Blood samples and sociodemographic data were collected by Akwesasne community members, without prior knowledge of participants' exposure status. Attainment of menses (menarche) was assessed as present or absent at the time of the interview. Congener-specific PCB analysis was available, and all 16 PCB congeners detected in >50% of the sample were included in analyses (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry numbers 52, 70, 74, 84, 87, 95, 99, 101 [+90], 105, 110, 118, 138 [+163 and 164], 149 [+123], 153, 180, and 187). Probit analysis was used to determine the median age at menarche for the sample. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of menarcheal status. Six toxicants (p,p'-DDE, HCB, PCBs, mirex, lead, and mercury) were entered into the logistic regression model. Age, socioeconomic status (SES), and BMI were tested as potential cofounders and were included in the model at P < .05. Interactions among toxicants were also evaluated. RESULTS: Toxicant levels were measured in blood for this sample and were consistent with long-term exposure to a variety of toxicants in multiple media. Mercury levels were at or below background levels, all lead levels were well below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action limit of 10 microg/dL, and PCB levels were consistent with a cumulative, continuing exposure pattern. The median age at menarche for the total sample was 12.2 years. The predicted age at menarche for girls with lead levels above the median (1.2 microg/dL) was 10.5 months later than that for girls with lead levels below the median. In the logistic regression analysis, age was the strongest predictor of menarcheal status and SES was also a significant predictor but BMI was not. The logistic regression analysis that corrected for age, SES, and other pollutants (p,p'-DDE, HCB, mirex, and mercury) indicated that, at their respective geometric means, lead (geometric mean: 0.49 microg/dL) was associated with a significantly lower probability of having reached menarche (beta = -1.29) and a group of 4 potentially estrogenic PCB congeners (E-PCB) (geometric mean: 0.12 ppb; International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry numbers 52, 70, 101 [+90], and 187) was associated with a significantly greater probability of having reached menarche (beta = 2.13). Predicted probabilities at different levels of lead and PCBs were calculated on the basis of the logistic regression model. At the respective means of all toxicants and SES, 69% of 12-year-old girls were predicted to have reached menarche. However, at the 75th percentile of lead levels, only 10% of 12-year-old Mohawk girls were predicted to have reached menarche; at the 75th percentile of E-PCB levels, 86% of 12-year-old Mohawk girls were predicted to have reached menarche. No association was observed between mirex, p,p'-DDE, or HCB and menarcheal status. Although BMI was not a significant predictor, we tested BMI in the logistic regression model; it had little effect on the relationships between menarcheal status and either lead or E-PCB. In models testing toxicant interactions, age, SES, lead levels, and PCB levels continued to be significant predictors of menarcheal status. When each toxicant was tested in a logistic regression model correcting only for age and SES, we observed little change in the effects of lead or E-PCB on menarcheal status. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of multichemical exposure among Akwesasne Mohawk Nation adolescent girls suggests that the attainment of menarche may be sensitive to relatively low levels of lead and certain PCB congeners. This study is distinguished by the ability to test many toxicants simultaneously and thus to exclude effects from unmeasured but coexisting exposures. By testing several PCB congener groupings, we were able to determine that specifically a group of potentially estrogenic PCB congeners affected the odds of reaching menarche. The lead and PCB findings are consistent with the literature and are biologically plausible. The sample size, cross-sectional study design, and possible occurrence of confounders beyond those tested suggest that results should be interpreted cautiously. Additional investigation to determine whether such low toxicant levels may affect reproduction and disorders of the reproductive system is warranted.

Localization and expression of cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 in mouse epidermis, anagen hair follicles, and skin neoplasms.

Recently, cornifin-alpha/SPPR1 has been identified as a putative precursor protein of the cornified cell envelope. In this study, the expression and localization of cornifin-alpha/SPPR1 was examined in untreated and tumor promoter-treated mouse skin, hair follicles, and skin neoplasms. Western analysis with antiserum (SQ37A) to a rabbit cornifin-alpha peptide or antiserum (SQ37C) to a human SPRR1 peptide demonstrated a 31-kDa immunoreactive protein in mouse epidermis and Northern analysis revealed the presence of a 1-kb mRNA. Immunohistochemical staining of mouse skin with SQ37A or SQ37C revealed intense and specific staining of the infundibulum, isthmus, and of Henle's layer of the inner root sheath of the lower anagen hair follicle and weak staining of the telogen follicle and the suprabasal layers of the epidermis. Treatment of mouse skin with 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) produced a large increase in cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 protein and mRNA. Immunohistochemical localization of cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 in TPA-treated skin indicated that cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 was increased in the suprabasal epidermis but not in the follicle. sn-1,2,-didecanoylglycerol, a model lipid second messenger, produced an increase in cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 protein similar to that of TPA, while mirex, a non-phorbol ester-type promoter had no effect. Topical doses of retinoic acid did not repress TPA-induced cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 expression. Papillomas demonstrated a 10- and 100-fold increase in cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 protein and mRNA, and expression was restricted to suprabasal cells. Squamous cell carcinomas exhibited an intermediate level of cornifin-alpha protein, and expression was restricted to keratinized areas. These data indicate: i) cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 is expressed in mouse skin; ii) cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 is localized to specific areas of the anagen hair follicle with weak staining in the telogen follicle and epidermis; iii) epidermal cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 expression is induced by phorbol ester and sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol but not mirex, and iv) papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas demonstrate a constitutive increase in cornifin-alpha/SPRR1 in differentiated areas of the neoplasms.

Effect of phenobarbital and mirex pretreatments on CCl4 autoprotection.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats maintained on either normal diet (N) or on a diet containing phenobarbital (PB; 225 ppm) or mirex (M; 10 ppm) for 15 days received either corn oil or 1 single administration of a protective dose of CCl4 (0.3 ml/kg, po) on day 16. At 24, 48, 72, 96, or 144 hr after the protective dose, a high dose of CCl4 (5 ml/kg, po) was administered to rats of all the groups, and they were observed for 14-day lethality. In a second experiment, in rats maintained on N, PB, or M diet, liver microsomal cytochromes P-450, aminopyrine demethylase, and aniline hydroxylase were measured at various time points after the administration of the protective dose of CCl4. Serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase elevations and histopathological changes observed under a light microscope were used as toxic end points to assess hepatotoxicity. Autoprotection was 100% when the high dose was given at 24 hr after the protective dose in N rats, whereas it was only 55% in PB- or M-pretreated rats. For later time points of 48, 72, and 96 hr, autoprotection was only around 50% in N rats, whereas it was almost 100% in PB- and M-pretreated rats. When the high dose was administered at 144 hr after the protective dose, autoprotection further declined to 25% in N rats and to 75% in M-treated rats, but it remained at 100% in PB-treated rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Phorone (diisopropylidene acetone), a glutathione depletor, decreases rat glucocorticoid receptor binding in vivo.

The exact mechanism by which carcinogens and tumor promoters act on the glucocorticoid receptor system in vivo is not known. Based on earlier studies that sulfhydryl-reducing agents stabilize glucocorticoid receptor binding in vitro, some workers have postulated that endogenous reducing factors may be important for glucocorticoid receptor function in vivo. To test whether glutathione (GSH) may serve this purpose, we investigated the effects of phorone, an agent that partially depletes intracellular GSH, on the hepatic cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor (GRc) binding characteristics in intact and 7-10 day adrenalectomized (ADX) adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Biochemical analysis revealed that a single treatment of phorone (300 mg/kg) to both intact and ADX rats significantly decreased the liver GSH concentration (70-90% of control levels) as well as the GRc maximum binding concentration (30% of control levels). The decrease in GSH levels preceded the reduction in GRc maximum binding concentrations; both effects were reversible after 24 h of treatment. The phorone-mediated decrease of GSH levels was maximum at doses greater than 75 mg/kg, whereas GRc maximum binding concentrations in vivo appeared dose dependent up to 400 mg/kg. Pretreatment with phorone or the carcinogens mirex and 3-methylcholanthrene significantly decreases GRc binding and nuclear uptake in vivo, as well as diminishes intracellular cytosolic GSH levels. Although a temporal relationship between the GSH levels and the GRc maximum binding concentrations in vivo was observed, there was no quantitative relationship between these two parameters based on our phorone dose-response and the carcinogen pretreatment data. Our findings suggest that during the early phases of carcinogenesis, the hepatocellular GSH does not play a direct role upon the biochemical action of certain carcinogens and tumor promoters on the glucocorticoid receptor binding in the liver.

Mirex-induced adaptive liver growth in rats subjected to thyroidectomy.

The organochlorine compound mirex (dodecachloro-octahydro-1,3,4-metheno-2H-cyclobuta-CD- pentalene) induces an adaptive liver growth dependent on the hormonal status of the experimental animal. In the intact laboratory rat, mirex induces liver growth that is an expression of both cellular hyperplasia and hypertrophy. However, in rats subjected to adrenalectomy, mirex induces liver growth that is essentially hyperplastic. Corticosterone supplements given to rats subjected to adrenalectomy and treated with mirex restore the hypertrophic component of liver growth. Therefore it appears that the expression of the hypertrophic component of mirex-induced liver growth is corticosterone dependent. To further explore the hormonal modulation of the expression of mirex-induced adaptive liver growth, rats subjected to thyroidectomy were studied. In male rats subjected to thyroidectomy, a single oral dose of mirex (100 mg/kg body wt) increased relative liver weight (liver wt/body wt x 100) by 62% within 72-hr after mirex administration. Liver growth occurred in the absence of [3H]thymidine incorporation into liver DNA. Thus the observed liver growth was totally hypertrophic. However, in mirex-dosed rats subjected to thyroidectomy given twice-daily subcutaneous injections of thyroxine (5 mg/kg body wt), relative liver weight was increased by 204% of the control value within 72-hr after mirex administration, and there was a peak of [3H]thymidine incorporation into liver DNA 54 hr after mirex administration. These studies suggest that the expression of hyperplasia in mirex-induced adaptive liver growth is thyroxine dependent.

Selective induction of cytochrome P450e by kepone (chlordecone) in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes.

Cytochromes P450b and P450e (IIB1 and IIB2, respectively) are two remarkably similar microsomal hemoproteins whose inductions in rat liver are generally believed to be coordinately controlled by such xenobiotics as phenobarbital. To critically examine this assumption, we used a new system of primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes on Matrigel to evaluate whether organochlorine pesticides, as "phenobarbital-like" agents, directly induce these cytochromes in parallel in the liver parenchymal cell. For 14 of the pesticides we tested, as well as for phenobarbital, P450b and P450e mRNAs, measured on Northern blots, rose in concert as much as 58- and 6-fold, respectively, over the amounts in incubated control cultures. Kepone (chlordecone) treatment of the cultures increased P450e mRNA in a dose-dependent manner that disclosed a 10-fold greater potency, compared with cultures exposed to phenobarbital. Kepone also resembled phenobarbital in these experiments, in that there were dose-dependent increases in the amounts of hepatocellular P450p, P450pcn2, P450PB-1, P450f, and NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase mRNAs. However, in the same kepone-treated cells, P450b mRNA or P450b immunoreactive protein was induced only slightly, if at all. In contrast, additions to the medium of mirex, a structural analog of kepone, effectively induced both P450b and P450e mRNAs and their proteins. Selective induction of P450e by kepone in the hepatocyte cultures, the first pharmacologic dissociation of the induction of P450b and P450e mRNAs and proteins, was not apparent in kepone-treated rats, where both P450b and P450e mRNAs were increased to equivalent extents. We conclude that the P450b and P450e genes may be expressed independently by process(es), possibly involving extrahepatic factors, that can be defined with the present hepatocyte culture system.

PB-PK derived metabolic constants, hepatotoxicity, and lethality of BrCCl3 in rats pretreated with chlordecone, phenobarbital, or mirex.

Pharmacokinetic modeling has been very useful in examining the complex relationships between exposure concentration and target tissue dose. This study utilizes a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) modeling approach for assessing the metabolism of BrCCl3 and to investigate its relationship with hepatotoxicity and lethality. Male Sprague-Dawley rats maintained for 15 days on normal diet (control), or on diets containing either chlordecone (CD, 10 ppm), phenobarbital (PB, 225 ppm) or mirex (M, 10 ppm), were used in gas uptake studies to determine the kinetic constants of BrCCl3 metabolism. Four initial concentrations of BrCCl3 at approximately 30, 200, 700, and 3000 ppm were used for each group. The uptake data were analyzed by computer simulation using a PB-PK model containing relevant tissue solubilities and physiological parameters as well as an equation describing the behavior of BrCCl3 in the closed chamber atmosphere. Liver injury was assessed by serum enzyme elevations (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase) and histopathological examination, at 24 hr after the exposure to BrCCl3. Another group of similarly pretreated rats was exposed to BrCCl3 and observed over a 14-day period for mortality. Dietary exposures resulted in increased Vmaxc value for BrCCl3 metabolism as compared to control (3.55 +/- 0.14 mg/hr/kg) for PB (8.52 +/- 0.28 mg/hr/kg) and M (5.06 +/- 0.19 mg/hr/kg) but not for CD (3.92 +/- 0.19 mg/hr/kg). Kfc, the first-order rate constant for BrCCl3 metabolism, was decreased after PB (12.9 +/- 0.5 hr-1/kg) and increased after M (17.6 +/- 0.5 hr-1/kg), but unchanged after CD (15.5 +/- 0.6 hr-1/kg) exposure as compared to control (15.0 +/- 0.3 hr-1/kg). The total amount of BrCCl3 metabolism at any initial concentration employed remained unchanged in all the pretreated groups as compared to control. However, the amount of BrCCl3 metabolized through saturable pathway only, at higher initial concentrations, was increased in the PB and M pretreated groups, but not in the CD pretreated group. It is concluded that the rates of metabolism of BrCCl3 were unchanged after CD pretreatment as compared to control, while PB and M pretreatment alter both the saturable and first-order rates. Serum enzymes were significantly increased in all the groups after exposure to BrCCl3 at 200 and 700 ppm concentrations. The increase was more pronounced in PB and M pretreated groups as compared to control and CD pretreated groups. Similarly, histopathological examination of liver showed alterations in the lobular architecture, the extent of alterations being dependent on the dose of BrCCl3 and the pretreatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Carbohydrate and oxygen metabolism during hepatocellular proliferation: a study in perfused livers from mirex-treated rats.

Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy is accompanied by altered hepatic intermediary metabolism. Because the organochlorine compound mirex also causes liver cell growth, the purpose of this study was to investigate hepatic carbohydrate and oxygen metabolism in perfused livers from mirex-treated rats and to localize cell proliferation in this model. Pretreatment with mirex (100 mg/kg, intragastrically) increased liver/body weight ratios and DNA synthesis in livers of fed rats, effects that were markedly diminished in livers of fasted rats. This finding shows that liver growth caused by mirex, as is the case after partial hepatectomy, is hindered when animals are deprived of food. Furthermore, perfused livers from mirex-treated rats had depleted glycogen stores but significantly elevated oxygen uptake compared with livers from control rats. Increases in oxygen uptake and hepatocellular proliferation were observed mostly in periportal regions of the liver lobule. In regenerating livers, most DNA synthesis was reported to also occur in these regions of the liver lobule. Taken together, these data show that liver cell growth caused by mirex is accompanied by changes in hepatic intermediary metabolism and sublobular proliferation similar to those observed after partial hepatectomy.

Mirex exposure inhibits the uptake of estradiol-17 beta(beta-D-glucuronide), taurocholate, and L-alanine into isolated rat hepatocytes.

The insecticides mirex and chlordecone have previously been found to suppress the biliary excretion of a wide variety of compounds. In the present studies, the effects of mirex, chlordecone, and phenobarbital on the uptake of two endogenous organic anions, estradiol-17 beta(beta-D-glucuronide) (E217G), an estrogen metabolite, taurocholate (TC), a common bile acid, and an essential amino acid, L-alanine (L-Ala) (0.5 mM), into isolated rat hepatocytes was investigated. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were orally dosed with mirex (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg) or chlordecone (6.25, 12.5, and 18.75 mg/kg) dissolved in corn oil for 3 days and isolated rat hepatocytes were prepared 2 days later. Rats were also dosed orally with phenobarbital (50 mg/kg on the first day and 80 mg/kg for the next 4 days) dissolved in distilled deionized water, and isolated hepatocytes were prepared on the sixth day. Mirex significantly reduced the uptake of both organic anions (0.5, 10, and 50 microM E2 17G; 10 microM TC) into hepatocytes by 40-70%, whereas chlordecone had no effect on their uptake. Mirex at 50 mg/kg significantly reduced the Vmax for the low- and high-affinity E217G uptake sites by 70% and decreased the Km for the low affinity uptake site by 60%. Mirex also significantly decreased the Vmax for TC uptake from 1.11 to 0.82 nmol/min/mg protein but had no effect on its Km (23.2 vs 22.9 microM). Mirex at 50 mg/kg was also found to reduce the uptake of 0.5 mM L-Ala by nearly 40%. Phenobarbital had no effect on the uptake of E217G (0.5 microM), TC (10 microM), or L-Ala (0.5 mM). Mirex treatment had no effect on hepatic plasma membrane Na+,K(+)- or Mg2(+)-ATPase activity. Neither mirex nor chlordecone at 50-100 microM had any effect on the uptake of 10 microM TC when added directly to hepatocytes from naive rats. These results indicate that mirex decreases the transport of organic anions and L-Ala across the basolateral domain of the hepatocyte in addition to its inhibitory effects on biliary excretion.

Lethal effects of CCl4 and its metabolism by Mongolian gerbils pretreated with chlordecone, phenobarbital, or mirex.

Gerbils are much more sensitive to the hepatotoxic and lethal effects of CCl4 than rats as indicated by 48-hr LD50 values (0.08 vs 2.8 ml/kg). On the other hand, gerbils are refractory to chlordecone (CD) potentiation of CCl4 toxicity. To investigate the possible mechanism underlying the high sensitivity of gerbils to CCl4 lethality, the metabolism of CCl4 was studied in gerbils pretreated with dietary CD, phenobarbital (PB), or mirex (M) at 10, 225, and 10 ppm, respectively. The hepatic content of 14CCl4, the expiration of 14CCl4 and 14CCl4-derived 14CO2, and lipid peroxidation were measured and the results were compared with the previous data for rats. After the 15-day dietary pretreatment, male gerbils (60-80 g) received 14CCl4 (0.08 ml/kg; sp act 0.04 mCi/mmol) ip in corn oil and the radioactivity present in the expired air was collected for 6 hr. More than 80% of the parent compound as represented by the 14C-label in the toluene trap was expired in 6 hr regardless of the pretreatments. Expiration of 14CO2 measured during the 6 hr after 14CCl4 administration in control gerbils was 3.5-fold more than that in rats and was significantly increased in pretreated groups (M greater than PB greater than CD). PB and M pretreatments resulted in a significant increase of 14C-label bound to the nonlipid fraction of the liver as compared with CD-treated or control gerbils. The radiolabel present in the livers of control gerbils was 5-fold higher than that of rats. In vivo lipid peroxidation measured as diene conjugation in lipid extracts from the livers was lower in gerbils than in rats, and none of the pretreatments significantly affected lipid peroxidation. The serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly elevated at 6 hr after CCl4 injection in all groups of gerbils. These data indicate that the more extensive metabolism of CCl4, as represented by 14CO2 formation and 14C-label bound to hepatic tissue, in gerbils as compared with rats, may partially explain the high sensitivity of gerbils to CCl4 toxicity. However, the enhanced metabolism of CCl4 found in CD-, PB-, or M-pretreated gerbils did not lead to amplified hepatotoxic and lethal effects of CCl4. The reason gerbils may be refractory to CD amplification of CCl4 injury might be associated with other factors yet to be investigated.

Mirex induces ornithine decarboxylase in female rat liver.

Ornithine decarboxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine synthesis, was significantly induced in female rat liver following oral administration of the pesticide mirex. After dual oral exposure (120 mg/kg of mirex; 21 and 4 hr prior to sacrifice), ornithine decarboxylase activity in rat liver cytosol was 70-fold higher than control values. A single oral dose of mirex (180 mg/kg) induced hepatic ornithine decarboxylase activity 55-fold over controls. After a single oral dose of mirex the maximal induction of ODC activity occurred at 36 hr. Mirex is an unusually potent and long-lasting inducer of rat hepatic ornithine decarboxylase activity.

Induction of cytochrome P-450 isozymes by mirex and chlordecone.

The effect of the insecticides, mirex and chordecone (Kepone), on the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system in C57BL/6N mouse liver microsomes was studied. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with low (6 mg/kg) and high (30 mg/kg) doses of mirex and chlordecone in corn oil for 2 days. For comparison, mice were also treated with either phenobarbital (PB) or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC). All treatments significantly increased the hepatic microsomal P-450 content over that of controls. Benzphetamine N-demethylase, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase, and acetanilide hydroxylase activities were also determined. Mirex and chlordecone resembled phenobarbital with respect to the induction of monooxygenase activities. Immunoquantitation with antibodies to purified P-450 IIB1 (Pb-induced P-450) and P-450 IA1 (3-MC-induced P-450) indicated that mirex and chlordecone induced P-450 IIB1 in a dose-dependent manner. The high dose of mirex also induced a small amount of a protein cross reacting with the antibody to IA1. The induction of this isozyme did not, however, contribute significantly to the monooxygenase activities measured.

Autoradiographic analysis of hepatocytes in mirex-induced adaptive liver growth.

The relationships between [3H]thymidine incorporation into hepatocyte nuclei, cell enlargement, and mitotic index were studied in intact (INT) and adrenalectomized (ADX) mirex-dosed rats. In INT mirex-dosed rats the sequence of events included the following: a biphasic response in nuclear labeling of mononuclear hepatocytes with peaks at 48 and 66 h postmirex dose, a peak in mitotic activity 66 h postmirex dose, and a significant increase in binuclear hepatocyte size 48 h postmirex dose. In ADX mirex-dosed rats the sequence of events included the following: a biphasic response in nuclear labeling of mononuclear hepatocytes with peaks at 24 and 48 h postmirex dose, a peak in mitotic activity 60 h postmirex dose, and a marginal increase in binuclear hepatocyte size 48 h postmirex dose. Corticosterone supplements to ADX mirex-dosed rats significantly reduced nuclear labeling of the mononuclear hepatocytes and increased the size of binuclear hepatocytes to that observed in INT mirex-dosed rats. This study demonstrates that adaptive liver growth consists of a hyperplastic response that involves mononuclear hepatocytes and a hypertrophic response that involves binuclear hepatocytes. Both responses appear to be modulated by corticosterone.

Biotransformation of chlordecone by Pseudomonas species.

1. Six-month chlordecone enrichment cultures with added chlordecone yielded several Gram-negative micro-organisms that were resistant to and/or degraded chlordecone. 2. Three Pseudomonas spp. were further characterized for their chlordecone degrading ability. 3. Chlordecone and two derivatives, Mirex and Kelevan, supported growth of these strains. 4. All three Pseudomonas spp. decreased the concentration of chlordecone in the medium after 14 days incubation, as determined by h.p.l.c. analysis when it was added either as sole carbon source or in the presence of medium supplements.

Alterations in the hepatic glucocorticoid response to mirex treatment.

Corticosterone has been shown to be involved in the regulation of mirex-induced adaptive liver growth. To further investigate the role of corticosterone in this response, plasma corticosterone, hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) activity, and hepatic cytosolic binding of glucocorticoids were determined in male Sprague-Dawley rats following a single oral dose of mirex (100 mg/kg body wt). Mirex stimulated a significant elevation in plasma corticosterone levels 12 and 24 hr after dosing; however, hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity was not induced above control levels 6, 12, or 24 hr after mirex dosing. Mirex does not appear to directly inhibit the enzyme because tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased in a dose-dependent manner in both intact and adrenalectomized rats when corticosterone supplements (1-50 mg/kg body wt) were given after mirex dosing. In an effort to explain the lack of hepatic TAT induction, the concentration of cytosolic binding sites for [3H]dexamethasone in intact, adrenalectomized, and adrenalectomized corticosterone-supplemented rats was measured 12, 24, and 48 hr after mirex dosing. There was a significant decrease in the total concentration of cytosolic binding sites for [3H]dexamethasone 12 and 48 hr after mirex dosing in intact rats, 12 and 48 hr after mirex dosing in adrenalectomized rats, and 12 and 24 hr after mirex dosing in adrenalectomized corticosterone-supplemented rats. There was a significant increase in the apparent dissociation constant (Kd) in intact rats dosed with mirex as compared to the oil controls, but there was no difference in Kd after mirex dosing in the adrenalectomized (ADX) rats when compared to the Kd for the oil-dosed control rats. The maximal binding capacity (Bmax) was not significantly different from oil controls after mirex dosing in either intact or ADX rats. The lack of hepatic TAT induction in the presence of increased plasma levels of corticosterone appears to be related to glucocorticoid receptor alterations in the liver of intact rats.

Benzo[a]pyrene metabolism in the Mongolian gerbil: influence of chlordecone and mirex induction.

1. The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) by gerbil hepatic microsomes is increased following induction by phenobarbital (PB), chlordecone, mirex and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC). 2. By several criteria including the influence of alpha-naphthoflavone (alpha-NF) on BP-hydroxylase activity and BP-metabolite profiles, the cytochromes P-450 responsible for benzo[a]pyrene metabolism appear to be similar in microsomes isolated from PB-, chlordecone-, or mirex-treated gerbils. The cytochromes P-450 present in microsomes isolated from control animals and those treated with 3-MC are different from each other and from those present in PB, chlordecone, or mirex microsomes by the same criteria. 3. Of the inducers used, only PB induced microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity.

Modulation of levels of free calcium within synaptosomes by organochlorine insecticides.

Effects of the organochlorine insecticides chlordecone, mirex, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane and 1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane on free intrasynaptosomal Ca2+ [( Ca++]i), synaptosomal 45Ca uptake and synaptosomal plasma and mitochondrial membrane potentials in vitro were studied. Chlordecone (10-50 microM) increased [Ca++]i from the resting level of 370 nM in a dose- and time-dependent manner to above 1.5 microM. This took place in the presence of 1 mM extrasynaptosomal Ca++ but not in nominally Ca++-free medium. Verapamil, a voltage sensitive Ca++ channel blocker, inhibited the initial increase of [Ca++]i caused by chlordecone, by 40%. Chlordecone also elevated [Ca++]i in synaptosomes in which mitochondrial Ca++ uptake had been abolished by valinomycin. Chlordecone depolarized partially the synaptosomal plasma membrane and, to a lesser extent, the potential of mitochondria within synaptosomes. However, chlordecone appeared to inhibit synaptosomal K+-stimulated and unstimulated 45Ca++ uptake by 20 to 30%. Inasmuch as chlordecone also stimulated release of 45Ca++ and the fluorescent dye fura-2 from preloaded synaptosomes, the apparent inhibition of uptake might be due to lysis of some synaptosomes by chlordecone. The effect of chlordecone on [Ca++]i decreased when the total amount of tissue in incubations was increased. [Ca++]i was only elevated marginally by mirex at the same concentration range. The results suggest that chlordecone increases free intrasynaptosomal Ca++ mainly by increasing influx of extrasynaptosomal Ca++. The principal mechanism appears to be a nonspecific leakage of Ca++ through the plasma membrane but some Ca++ may pass through voltage-sensitive Ca++ channels due to chlordecone-induced membrane depolarization.

Inhibitory effect of chlordecone and mirex on steroid synthesis in Y-1 cells.

Chlordecone is known to bring about alterations in the endocrine systems of a variety of animals. The present study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of a direct effect of the insecticide on steroid-secreting tissues. Technical grade chlordecone produced a dose-dependent inhibition of steroidogenesis in cultured mouse adrenal tumor cells (Y-1 cells) when stimulated with ACTH (IC50 = 4 X 10(-5) M), cAMP (IC50 = 2.3 X 10(-5) M), or pregnenolone (IC50 3.5 X 10(-5) M). Similar values were obtained with 99% pure chlordecone. These data suggest that chlordecone inhibited the conversion of pregnenolone into 20 alpha-dihydroprogesterone. Additional sites of action cannot be ruled out. Mirex failed to inhibit steroidogenesis which was supported by exogenous pregnenolone. At a concentration of 3 X 10(-6) M mirex inhibited cAMP induced steroidogenesis, but higher concentrations did not produce a more pronounced effect.

Comparative changes in hepatic DNA, RNA, protein, lipid, and glycogen induced by a subtoxic dose of CCl4 in chlordecone, mirex, and phenobarbital pretreated rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were maintained on a normal powdered diet or on a similar diet containing 10 ppm chlordecone (CD), 10 ppm mirex (M) or 225 ppm phenobarbital (PB) for 15 days. On day 15, the animals received a single i.p. administration of CCl4 (100 microliters/kg). Hepatic DNA, RNA, protein, lipid and glycogen were determined 1, 4, 6, 12, 24 and 36 h after CCl4 administration. A significant decrease (18%) in hepatic protein was observed 24 h after CCl4 challenge in the CD-pretreated rats; significant changes were not observed in the other treatment groups. Hepatic RNA was decreased (37%) in CD-pretreated rats at 36 h; no changes were observed in the DNA content. Hepatic RNA and DNA were increased (20% and 16%, respectively) 6 h after exposure to CCl4 alone. Lipid content was increased at all time points starting at 4 h in response to CCl4 challenge in the CD-pretreated rats. In the M- and PB-pretreated rats increases in hepatic lipid (22 and 28%, respectively) were observed only at the 6-h time point. Only a transient increase occurred after CCl4 alone at 4 h. While depletion of hepatic glycogen was manifested in all groups at all time points following CCl4, that in the CD + CCl4 group was the greatest. A recovery of glycogen beginning at 12 h was observed in the rats receiving CCl4 alone and in the M and PB pretreated animals. No such recovery was evident in CD + CCl4 group. These studies indicate that biochemical changes compatible with cellular death are more pronounced in the CD-pretreated rats than in those receiving CCl4 alone, suggesting that the metabolic and supportive biochemical mechanisms for hepatocellular repair are suppressed in rats receiving CD + CCl4.