Several papers have reported on the uptake of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in fish exposed to diluted PCB solution. However, toxicological studies on the oral administra-tion of PCB have not been reported so far.
In the present investigation, changes in blood characteristics and plasma enzyme activ-ities of carp, Cyprinus carpio, fed with diets containing 5, 25 and 100ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1248) were examined. After 7 or 20 days feeding with PCB-containing diets, the carps were sacrificed for chemical analyses. The results obtained are as follows.
1) After 7 days feeding, the blood glucose content and the hematocrit value in 5 and 25 ppm groups appeared decreased, while in the 100ppm group both values showed an increasing tendency. After 20 days feeding, however, the blood glucose content and the hematocrit values were elevated with the dose of PCB.
2) The protein content, β-glucuronidase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase activi-ties showed an increasing tendency.
3) After 20 days feeding, the glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase activity and alka-line phosphatase activity were remarkably increased.
4) The findings suggest that plasma β-glucuronidase activity may be a useful index for examining the effect of PCB in fish.