Morphological Changes in Livers of Rats Fed Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Abstract

Male and female Sherman strain rats were fed polychlorinated biphenyls Aroclor 1260 and Aroclor 1254 at 0, 20, 100, 500 and 1,000 ppm in their diet. Rats received the dietary levels for eight months. Light microscopic changes consisted of hypertrophy of the liver cells, inclusions in the cytoplasm, brown pigment in Kupffer cells, lipid accumulation, and, at the higher dietary levels, adenofibrosis. Ultrastructural changes of the livers of exposed animals consisted of an increase in smooth endoplasmic reticulum and atypical mitochondria. Lipid vacuoles were occasionally surrounded by concentric membranes. The epithelial component of adenofibrosis consisted of goblet cells and cells that resembled the epithelium which lines the bile ducts. In general, the effect of Aroclor 1254 on the liver was more pronounced than that of Aroclor 1260.