Dopamine-dependent behavior in adult rats after perinatal exposure to purity-controlled polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCB52 and PCB180)

• Developmental exposure to purity-controlled polychlorinated biphenyls affects cataleptic behavior in adult rats.
• PCB52 increased latencies to movement onset in female offspring.
• PCB180 decreased latencies to movement onset in male offspring.
• Benchmark dose analyses revealed that effects occur at moderate exposure levels.

Since knowledge about toxic effects of non-dioxinlike (NDL) PCBs is fragmentary, regulatory panels have concluded that risk assessment of these congeners is hampered or impossible. As the dopaminergic system is one of the main targets in PCB-related neurotoxic effects after developmental exposure, we selected catalepsy induced by the dopamine receptor blocker haloperidol to characterize effects of the NDL congeners PCB52 and PCB180 in adult offspring from exposed rat dams. Rat dams were treated with PCB congeners by gavage using six dose levels (total doses: PCB52 – 0, 30, 100, 300, 1000 or 3000 mg/kg body wt.; PCB180 – 0, 10, 30, 100, 300, or 1000 mg/kg body wt.) to allow benchmark dose analysis of the results. Testing of adult offspring (starting at 180 days of age) for catalepsy induced by injection with haloperidol revealed slightly prolonged latencies to movement onset in female offspring exposed to PCB52. Exposure to PCB180 resulted in more pronounced effects, with generally reduced latencies in male offspring. These results indicate reduced dopaminergic activity after PCB52 exposure, whereas the outcome for PCB180 may be related to increased extracellular dopamine as reported in the literature. Benchmark dose analyses revealed that both PCB congeners exerted effects mainly at moderate exposure levels. Together, these results underline the importance of effects on the dopaminergic system as indicated by studies in human females after occupational PCB exposure.