Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on liver regeneration in the rat: influence of position and degree of chlorination.

The effects of PCBs, administered intragastrically, were studied on partially hepatectomized (70%) rats. Seven days after hepatectomy, a relationship was noted between the increase in the degree of chlorination of the biphenyl molecule and the hypertrophy and lipid accumulation in the liver. When the 3' and 4' positions are chlorinated, the relationship still holds but, for a constant number of chlorine atoms, the intensity of the effects are decreased. Fourteen days after hepatectomy, there was only a significant difference in the case of decachlorobiphenyl and Phenoclor DP5, for which the hypertrophy is accompanied by hyperplasia. The relationships are discussed between the chemical structure of the PCBs, their metabolization, their toxicity, and the reversibility of their effects.