Polychlorinated biphenyls affect the activities of gluconeogenic and lipogenic enzymes in rat liver: is there an interference with regulatory hormone actions?

1. The effects of dietary polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (30-2000 ppm) on activities of gluconeogenic (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase-PEPCK, and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase-FdPase) and lipogenic enzymes (fatty acid synthase-FAS, ATP citrate lyase-ACL, malic enzyme-ME, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase-G6PDH, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase-PGDH) were studied in livers of the female Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rat. 2. PCB amounts accumulating in the liver reflected the extent of dietary exposure. The Wistar strain was more sensitive to PCBs than the Sprague-Dawley strain. Of the Clophen-type PCBs those containing 60 and 64% chlorine displayed the most pronounced effects. 3. Activities of gluconeogenic enzymes (PEPCK and FdPase) were dose-dependently decreased by PCBs, PEPCK being considerably more sensitive. This decrease was also found under conditions where the activity of PEPCK was induced (administration of adrenalin, glucagon or cAMP, feeding high protein diets, starvation). 4. Activities of lipogenic enzymes were induced by PCBs. The increase was much greater with ME, G6PDH and PGDH (up to 10-fold) than with FAS and ACL (approximately 2-fold). PCB effects were dose-dependent, but transient. 5. In cultured hepatocytes basal activities of lipogenic enzymes were induced by PCBs in the absence of hormones. With saturating levels of insulin or triiodothyronine, enzyme activities were also induced, but addition of PCBs resulted in an additive effect. 6. These results suggest that in the female rat PCBs can mimic the actions of certain hormones by affecting either hormone levels, hormone receptor systems or regulatory systems.