Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic organic compounds with two benzene rings and well known environmental pollutants. This study examined the effect of persistent exposure to 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118) on the proinflammatory and proapoptotic factors in male rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were administered weekly intraperitoneal injections of either PCB118 (20 mg/kg) dissolved in corn oil or corn oil alone. One week after 2 and 5 administrations, the rats were sacrificed by a pentobarbital injection. The effect of PCB118 on the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, Bcl and Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) was investigated. The level of COX-2 and cPLA2 expression was higher in the PCB118-treated rats than the control. These results suggest that PCB118 has a proinflammatory effect in rats.

This study was performed to examine the effect of 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB#118) on testis of male rats. PCB#118 (20 mg/kg/week) in corn oil was intraperitoneally injected to adult male rats for 2, 5, 8 weeks. The body and testicular weights were measured at 3, 6, 9 weeks of PCB treatment. The morphological changes in the rat testes were then analyzed by light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that PCB#118 caused significant change in the body weights and testicular weights. Moreover, the morphological studies that were conducted on the PCB-treated rats revealed that the number of spermatocytes and spermatids in their seminiferous tubules decreased than control group (LM). The nuclear membrane was damaged when PCB was administered to them for 9 weeks (TEM). These results suggest that the reproductive function of the adult male rats is sensitive to PCB#118, and that may affect the testicular morphology of adult male rats.