Oral dosing of rats with polychlorinated biphenyls increases urinary homovanillic acid production.

The effect of a single oral gavage with a mixture of Aroclors 1254 and 1260 on 24-h production of urinary homovanillic acid was determined in the laboratory rat. Adult male Wistar-derived rats were exposed to a single dose of corn oil, either alone or containing equal amounts of Aroclors 1254 and 1260 at a dosage of 500 or 1000 mg/kg. Urinary homovanillic acid concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The 500-mg/kg group showed a transient increase in homovanillic acid production, while the 1000-mg/kg group showed a biphasic response-an initial decrease (due to decreased food consumption) followed by a prolonged elevation. Only transient changes in body weight, food and water consumption, and urine output were observed. The results demonstrate that peripheral measurement of a dopamine metabolite may provide a means of monitoring changes in an important neurotransmitter system after exposure to a putative neurotoxin.