CARRUTHERS, C.M.; MESERVE, L.A.; Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio; Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio: Multigenerational effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on the reproduction, estrous cycles and organ weights of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are synthetic chemicals with the same basic chemical form. Initially produced in large volumes for their non-flammable, stable and insulating properties they were used in hundreds of applications including electrical insulators, pigments and dyes, plasticizers and carbonless copy paper. Concern over the toxicity of PCB in animals led the United States to ban their production in 1977. Since then, because of their bioaccumulation, they have been found to cause numerous health problems in animals including but not limited to cancer, immune deficit, behavioral alteration, and reproductive difficulty. In this study we examined the multigenerational effects of PCB on the reproductive ability of Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats fed a diet mixed with one of three congeners of PCB (PCB 77, PCB 47, or AROCLOR 1254) in one of two concentrations (1.25ppm or 12.5ppm) were mated to the F2 generation. Estrous cycles were monitored in female rats for two cycles. All animals were sacrificed and liver, thyroid glands, testes, uterus and ovaries were harvested and weighed. Results showed that most treatment groups exhibited significantly different estrous cycles when compared to unexposed animals. Exposed animals experienced a longer estrous cycle than those animals which were never fed a PCB diet. Nearly all treatment groups exhibited a very significant alteration in the liver, testes, thyroid glands, ovaries, and uterus weights.