A study of the effects of toxaphene on hepatic cells of rats

Male and female rats were fed 6 levels of toxaphene in their diets for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Levels fed were 0, 2.33, 7, 21, 63 and 189 ppm. Rats were terminated at 58, 86 and 114 days of age. Graded levels of toxaphene did not affect physical appearance or pathology of the rats. There were no significant differences recorded in final weights, weight gained, absolute hepatic cell size or corrected hepatic cell size (i.e., per 100 grams of body weight) due to the 6 incremental concentrations of toxaphene, time periods or sex. The amount of toxaphene residues as a group mean ranged from 1.8 to 17.8 ppm in the tissues of the males and 1.3 to 17 ppm in the tissues of the females. Liver residues in males were from 2.8 to 12 ppm and in females from 2 to 11.3 ppm. The range of residual levels in omental fat was 2.8 to 21.3 and 1.8 to 30.3 ppm, respectively, for males and females. Concentration of residues in body tissues (exclusive of liver and omental fat) continued to increase throughout the 12 weeks. Residues in the liver reached their zenith at 4 weeks, whereas the fat residues peaked at 8 weeks. When the liver accumulated its maximal level of residues, the excess was then stored in fat and subsequently within body tissues. Considerable variation existed among individual observations within groups effecting non-significant differences between treatment effects.