COMPARISON OF THE PORPHYRINOGENIC ACTIVITY OF HEXABROMOBENZENE AND HEXACHLOROBENZENE IN PRIMIPAROUS WISTAR RATS

It can be concluded that HBB used in this study was more porphyrinogenic than HCB. The results suggest that HBB was an effective porphyrinogen even at a concentration in the liver of only 1/8 that of HCB. Further studies should be encouraged to determine the biochemical and pharmacological significance of HBB in the development of hepatic phorphyria. The effects of lactation on the body burden of HBB or HCB should also be investigated. This study showed that HCB-treated primiparous rats did not show elevated esterase activity after over three months of continous feeding on a diet containing 8 0 ppm HCB. Some of these dams showed elevated levels of porphyrin although the HCB residue levels in the liver were similar to those of the non-porphyric, HCB-fed dams. This discrepancy in the response suggests genetic hetero-geneity of predisposition to, or ability to recover from, acquired porphyria in the rat. The low porphyrin levels in some cases may also be due to reduction of HCB concentrations during lactation. This, perhaps, suggests that lactation may have exerted some therapeutic effects on certain porphyric animals but it could consequently be deleterious to the nursing pups (MENDOZA et al. 1975). © 1979 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.