Intestinal absorption of 14C from 14C-phenanthrene, 14C-benzo[a] pyrene and 14C-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin:: approaches with the Caco-2 cell line and with portal absorption measurements in growing pigs

The aim of this work was to study the transfer through the intestinal barrier of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (benzo[ a] pyrene and phenanthrene) and a dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin) which differed in their physicochemical properties. Both in vitro and in vivo assays were performed. For the in vitro study, Caco-2 cells, cultivated on permeable filters, permitted to measure the transepithelial permeability of the studied C-14-labelled molecules. For the in vivo study, portal absorption kinetics were evaluated in pigs fed contamined milk. The results showed that all the molecules were absorbed and demonstrated a differential intestinal absorption for the studied molecules. Phenanthrene appeared to be the fastest and most uptaken compound, followed by benzo[a] pyrene and finally 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin. Their absorption levels were respectively 9.5, 5.2 and 1.4% after a 6 h-exposure in vitro and 86.1, 30.5 and 8.3% in vivo for the 24 h following ingestion. These findings suggest that the physicochemical properties of the xenobiotics and intestinal epithelium play key roles in the selective permeability and in the bioavailability of the tested micropollutants.