Effects of clenbuterol on body stores of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) in rats.
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), persistent pollutants that accumulate in the food chain, pose a risk to humans through consumption of tainted livestock. Clenbuterol, a leanness-enhancing agent, was tested for usefulness in PCDD/F body store reduction through body fat reduction (the predominant site of accumulation). To mimic the situation of contaminated animals, rats were given feed with or without a mixture of PCDD/F (0.6 to 2.7 ng/congener per day) for 10 d, followed by 16 d of feed with or without dietary clenbuterol (2 mg/kg feed). Clenbuterol reduced body fat by 28% (P < 0.05), increased muscle mass by 25% (P < 0.02), and decreased liver mass by 7% (P < 0.02). Although the concentrations of most PCDD/F per gram of fat were slightly increased after clenbuterol treatment, the total amount of PCDD/F that remained in fat was reduced by approximately 30%. Muscle PCDD/F concentrations and total burden were decreased by clenbuterol. In contrast, clenbuterol tended to increase concentration, but not total burden of PCDD/F in livers. One congener known to be rapidly metabolized and excreted, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, was the exception to this increase, decreasing 40% with clenbuterol treatment. This was also the congener that showed the greatest reduction in both fat and muscle. Examination of the ratio of PCDD/F in liver and fat revealed that clenbuterol increased the liver's share of the body burden of PCDD/F, from 38 to 75%. In a remediation/disposal context, these findings would be beneficial if clenbuterol lowered the meat and carcass burden of PCDD/F to safe levels, requiring only livers to be disposed of as hazardous waste.
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001822:Body Burden; D002976:Clenbuterol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C020887:dibenzo(1,4)dioxin; D002976:Clenbuterol