title: Adrenocortical toxicity of 3-methylsulphonyl-DDE; 3: Studies in fetal and suckling mice.
abstract: Irreversible binding and toxicity of the DDT metabolite 3-methylsulphonyl-DDE (MeSO2-DDE) were examined in fetuses and suckling pups following administration to pregnant or lactating C57Bl mice. Tape-section autoradiography showed a high and tissue-specific accumulation and binding of MeSO2-DDE-14C-derived radioactivity in the late gestational fetal adrenal cortex. According to microautoradiography an irreversibly bound residue was confined to the zona fasciculata. Similarly, there was a high concentration of irreversibly bound 14C-labelled material in the adrenal zona fasciculata of suckling pups. Intraperitoneal injection of MeSO2-DDE-14C to lactating mice resulted in higher concentrations of radioactivity in the liver and stomach contents (milk) of the suckling pups than in the maternal liver. This treatment also resulted in a higher level of radioactivity in the adrenals of the pups than in the maternal adrenals, both at a subtoxic and at a toxic dose. Histopathologic examination of adrenals from suckling pups revealed extensive vacuolation and necrosis of the zona fasciculata 2 days following a single dose of MeSO2-DDE (25 mg/kg) to the dam. In the fetal adrenal zona fasciculata, slight degenerative changes were observed following a maternal dose of 50 mg/kg. In conclusion, the study shows that MeSO2-DDE is a highly tissue-specific toxicant to the fetal and postnatal adrenal zona fasciculata in mice. Based on the present data and on previous results in adult mice, we propose that a tissue-specific activation to a reactive metabolite in the fetal and postnatal adrenal cortex is mediated by cytochrome P-450 (11 beta).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Jönsson
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brandt
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001345:Autoradiography; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; C055238:1-chloro-4-(2,2-dichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethenyl)-3-(methylsulfonyl)benzene