Electron Microscopy Studies of Liver and Adrenal Cortex of Rats after Repeated Oral Administration of O,P '-Ddd at Pico Laboratories, Inc.

摘要

Electron microscopy studies were conducted on the liver and adrenal cortex of 12 rats administered o,p'-DDD at dosage levels of 0 and 300 mg/kg/day for 28 days. Liver and adrenal gland tissues from 12 additional rats administered p,p'-DDD at dosage levels of 75 and 150 mg/kg/day for 28 days were also embedded in plastic for possible future electron microscopy studies. There were no consistent distinguishing morphologic differences seen between the sections of adrenal gland from control rats and rats administered 300 mg. o,p'-DDD/kg/day for 28 days. The sections of liver from rats administered o,p'-DDD at 300 mg/kg/day for 28 days consistently showed elevated quantities of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and reduced glycogen content when compared to the controls. This was more prominent in the male rats than in the female rats. Two out of three of the male rats in the treated group showed fingerprint formations (or multilamellar concentric bodies). Structures of this type have now been reported by this and other laboratories following administration of a variety of compounds and are considered by Stenger to be indicative of detoxification mechanisms. Quantitative changes in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum are generally considered to reflect changes in drug metabolizing enzyme levels. (Author)