Back to Lung Cancer Table of Contents
PCB Human Health Risks
Fox River Watch
Site Index

Summary of Animal Studies 
of PCBs and Lung Cancer

(Each entry represents one finding in a study. Some studies had multiple findings.)

  • PCB treatment of newborns increased the cancer-causing ability of a tobacco chemical in one strain of mice but not in another
  • PCB treatment of newborns increased the cancer-causing ability of NNK (a tobacco chemical) in one strain of mice but not in another
  • the fetus may face increased cancer risks when exposed (through the mother’s exposure) to chemicals which induce enzymes which metabolize other chemicals to become carcinogenic.
  • metabolism of aromatic carcinogens appears early in gestation and is highly inducible transplacentally in rodents by chemicals such as dioxin, resulting in dramatic percent increases in enzyme activity
  • the fetus may be much more sensitive than adults
  • PCBs promote NDMA (tobacco chemical) initiated lung tumors after a single dose
  • average tumor numbers were enhanced 4-fold
  • nonmetabolized PCB congeners retained in the tissues continuously stimulated tumor growth
  • PCBs alone produced a slightly significant increase of tumors in newborns
  • PCBs administered after NDMA initiation in newborn mice resulted in a substantial increase in lung tumors
  • sequential exposure to PCBs and tobacco chemicals may result in increased tumor yield, but with chemical-, sex-, and age-dependent differences
  • significant lung tumors developed in male fetuses exposed to NNK or NDMA (tobacco chemicals), followed by exposure after birth to PCB Aroclor 1254.
  • exposure to NDMA in the womb yielded no tumor increase unless further exposed to PCB Aroclor 1254, when 36% developed lung tumors
  • later PCB exposure doubled the incidence of lung tumors in newborn mice exposed to NDMA
  • PCB effects depend on the timing of PCB exposure and sex
  • single doses of PCBs into the digestive system were enough to cause the lung cancer effect
  • PCBs (Aroclor-1254) were used to induce enzymes which facilitated the mutagenicity of small particulates, which may contribute to the induction of lung cancer
  • depletion of vitamin-A in the lung increases susceptibility to lung cancer
  • pentachlorophenol (usually contaminated with dioxins) was associated with airborne particulate matter which was associated with depletion of vitamin-A [PCBs are also usually contaminated with dioxins)
  • PCBs play a role in levels of cytochrome-P450 enzymes in the lungs
  • the lung enzyme, cytochrome P450 1A1, was significantly increased by PCBs
  • cytochrome P450 IIB1 was significantly elevated
  • total PCB lung content decreased with half lives of 17 and 9 weeks
  • lower chlorinated PCBs cleared more rapidly that highly chlorinated compounds
  • regulation of lung enzymes following PCBs involves interactions between specific PCB congeners
  • the Ah receptor is not involved in PCB suppression of the lung enzyme, cytochrome CYP2B
  • regulation of the lung enzyme, cytochrome CYP1A1, does appear to involve the Ah receptor
  • PCBs decreased the cytochrome P4502B by about 50-60% in both strains of mice
  • kidneys are more sensitive than lungs to PCB enzyme induction, but the effect is more persistent in lungs
  • PCB Aroclor 1254 was a potent enzyme inducing agent in the lungs
  • mutational activation of the K-ras oncogene often occurs in human and mouse lung adenocarcinomas
  • PCBs caused an increase in membrane/cytosol ratio in mouse lungs
  • PCBs and dioxins can induce the K-ras p21 oncogene [cancer gene] or increase its membrane level in certain mouse strains, but these properties are not fully dependent on Ahr receptor type
  • K-ras p21 induction may be related to lung cancer
  • HPOP and BOP (two tobacco carcinogens) required the presence of lung enzymes induced by PCBs in order to show positive mutagenic activity
  • lung abscesses and pneumonia have been observed in mammalian species exposed to PCBs
  • a uteroglobin lung protein has been identified which, although not a receptor, has served to specifically concentrate methylsulfone metabolites of PCBs in lung Clara cells
  • enzymes induced by PCBs increase the mutagenicity of nitrosamines
  • PCBs and dioxin together increased the incidence of lung and palate/nasal turbinates or tongue cancer in both sexes 
  • respiratory tract biotransformation of many man-made toxic chemicals found in inhaled environmental pollutants is generally considered essential for the mutagenic, carcinogenic, and/or toxic response of lung tissue to these chemicals.
  • mouse lung tissue enzymes induced by PCBs were used to test metabolic behavior of several toxic compounds
  • PCB induced enzymes help promote mutations induced by cigarette smoke condensate
  • metabolic activation is required before NNK (a tobacco chemical) will induce lung tumors
  • PCBs induce the enzyme (cytochrome P450) which metabolically activates NNK
  • PCBs were used to stimulate lung enzymes used to test whether a class of chemicals caused mutations
  • PCBs strongly stimulated the activity of the NADPH-requiring enzymes responsible for ICR deactivation, which may relate to lung cancer.
  • PCBs are a weak inducer of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity in rabbit lung
  • Furans caused a 3-fold increase in AHH activity in the lung [PCBs are generally contaminated furans.]
  • PCB and furan pretreatments caused a greater than 15-fold and about 3- to 4-fold increase in the formation of the tumor-causing metabolites
  • PCBs caused a 75% decrease in formation of K-region metabolite, BP-4, 5-deydrodiol
  • NNK (a tobacco chemical) required bioactivation by enzymes in order to cause mutations (which might lead to cancer)
  • PCBs were used to induce enzyme production which led to this bioactivation
  • PCBs combined with main-stream and side-stream cigarette smoke condensates to induce AHH activity in the lung
  • one lung lesion with adenoma (cancer) was induced by PCBs in a small test population of mice
  • PCB may promote (but not initiate) lung tumors induced by 1-nitropyrene
  • PCB may not induce K-ras mutation directly
  • when both PCBs and 1-nitropyrene (a pollutant) were present both the number and size of tumors were significantly more
  • thymidine incorporation into lung DNA was significantly increased by PCB injection
  • PCBs reduced DNA I-compounds, which may correlate with lung cancer
  • 2 PAH’s [air & water pollutants] caused increased mutations and increased DNA adduct levels if the test included lung microsomes from PCB-treated animals
  • PCB pretreatment inhibited (S)-nicotine oxidation
  • Clara cells of the bronchiolar epithelium and Type II cells of the alveolar epithelium are possible target cells in lung cancer
  • PCB feeding did not consistently change oxygen utilization, phagocytic activity or microbicidal activity in phagocytic cells. 
  • certain individual parameters were altered by PCBs, but not in any temporal pattern.
  • fibronectin, a surface binding glycoprotein, was significantly decreased
  • certain PCB types did not increase tumor susceptibility in a certain mouse strain
  • a certain protein in lung fluids binds selectively to certain PCB metabolites, causing PCB accumulation in the lung 
  • the toxicological significance of this behavior is unknown
  • PCBs caused proliferation and dilation of agranular endoplasmic reticulum throughout the apical cytoplasm of Clara cells in the lung
  • ciliated cells were unaffected
  • such PCB doses did not induce severe bronchiolar lesions in mice
  • a certain protein in lung fluids binds selectively to certain PCB metabolites, causing PCB accumulation in the lung 
  • the protein was localized in the secretory granules of the apical Clara cell cytoplasm
  • the protein plays an important role in determining the in-vivo disposition of PCBs.
  • dioxin increases the induction of enzymes in the lung, which alters the reactivity of certain air pollutants in the lung [PCBs are frequently contaminated with dioxins, and certain PCBs are dioxin-like]
  • PCB binding protein is synthesized in or secreted from Clara cells. 
  • studies of PCBs and lung toxicity should take methylsulfonyl PCBs into consideration.
  • the PCB binding protein in the lung has been specifically identified
  • Clara cell secretory protein may mediate the biological accumulation of potentially harmful PCB metabolites in the lung
  • Clara cells contain a secretory protein of molecular weight 12800d that specifically binds PCB methyl sulfones with high affinity
  • this protein plays an important role in the in-vivo disposition of these compounds
  • PCBs accumulate and are retained longterm in the lungs’ tracheobronchial mucosa
  • the PCB-binding protein complex has been shown to be subsequently secreted into the airway lumen and spread over the entire surface lining
  • a structural relationship exists between the rat lung PCB binding protein and uteroglobin, a hormonally regulated steroid binding protein in rabbit lung
  • certain PCB metabolites accumulate strikingly in rat lung tissue, due to a uteroglobin-like macromolecule in the lung
  • immunological alteration may be different between peripheral blood and respiratory system as one of the target organs of PCBs and furans
  • PCB pretreatment did not alter the 50% lethal dose of 1-nitronaphthalene
  • PCB did prevent morphological signs of lung injury and any increase in either lung weight or enzyme activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
  • PCBs made liver injury worse
  • both lung tumor incidence and multiplicity were significantly increased when mice exposed to environmental cigarette smoke were pretreated with PCBs, as compared to exposure only to environmental cigarette smoke
  • PCB 52 and its oxide failed to induce lung cancer
  • three P-450 enzymes induced by PCBs in rat lungs are involved in the activation of several procarcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [combustion byproducts]
  • two PCBs produced greater lung enzyme activity than they did liver enzyme activity
  • PCBs produced increases of two to five times control levels
  • relative induction potency of PCBs appears to be tissue specific and EROD activity may not accurately reflect potency in non-liver tissues. 
  • Dioxin Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) proposed for PCBs may overestimate potencies by factors of ten to 1000.
  • rates of individual BaP metabolite production are increased in lungs from mice pretreated with PCBs
  • the existence of significant cytochrome P-450-dependent and conjugative BaP metabolism in the intact mouse lung is supported, similar to that examined in other species, and capable of contributing to the systemic metabolism of this carcinogen.
  • PCBs are used to induce drug-metabolizing enzymes
  • PCBs are very good inducers of AHH enzyme activity in certain mouse strains 
  • strain of mouse and type of tissue are important variables in assessing the potential effect of microsomal enzyme-inducing PCBs on the metabolism of mutagenic substances.
  • PCB induced enzymes enhanced the mutagenicity of 3 metabolites, but decreased mutagenicity of other metabolites
  • PCB induced enzymes increased the mutagenic response due to several common air pollutants
  • conversion of certain procarcinogens to active mutagens occurred only in the presence of enzymes
  • enzymes induced by dioxins and PCBs strongly increased mutagenic activity of aromatic amines
  • dioxin induced activity was higher than that of PCBs
  • pretreatment of rats with PCBs markedly induced reductase (enzyme) activity in livers
  • the effect in lungs was 6% of the effect in livers
  • PCBs traveled to the lungs and other organs after injection intraperitoneally, though less than to the liver and kidneys
  • PCB induced enzymes caused a noticeable accumulation of two common carcinogens in the lungs’ alveolar region
  • irreversible binding in lung tissue was present in endothelial cells of arteries and veins, in the alveolar septal walls, and in type 2 pneumocytes
  • PCB pretreatment enhanced the metabolic activation of 4-nitroquinoline diaphorase in the lung, leading to possible disorders in steroid homeostasis and cancer
  • PCB induced enzymes converted a non-mutagenic chemical (phenanthridine) into a mutagenic one.
  • the number of tobacco-initiated lung tumors in newborn mice were increased by PCBs 2.5-fold at 28 weeks, and fourfold at 28 and 52 weeks.
  • PCBs promote lung tumors by triggering the early appearance of tumors which would otherwise occur in old age.
  • Clara cell specific protein (CC10), also known as a PCB (a potent carcinogen)-binding protein, may be related to lung cancers

  • PCB enzyme induction will be used to test the metabolic activation of two lung carcinogens

Go to:

  • The Animal Studies 1 - 31
  • The Animal Studies 32 - 32
  • Upcoming Research
  • Studies Without Abstracts
  • Links to More Information
  • References
  • Back to top
    Back to Human Health Risks
    Back to Fox River Watch
    To Site Index
      Make a Donation