Summary
Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) has resulted in a variety of cutaneous effects in several species. When mice were exposed to PCBs through the diet and to benzo-(a)-pyrene (BAP) by topical application, hyperkeratinization occurred in the epidermis and hyperkeratinized cysts occasionally formed, but alterations were also observed in the dermis and in small cutaneous blood vessels, particularly capillaries and venules. The luminal borders of the endothelial cells often became irregularly ruffled, and pinocytotic vesicles increased in number and varied considerably in size. Subjacent to the endothelium and pericytes, the basal laminae were either replicated many times or extensively thickened. These effects were attributable to PCBs but not to BAP with the methods and dosages employed. Although endotheliocytosis has been reported in birds exposed to PCBs, vascular effects have not been previously described in mammals treated with these compounds.
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Bell, M. Ultrastructural features of the murine cutaneous microvasculature after exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) and benzo-(a)-pyrene (BAP). Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathol 42, 131–142 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02890376
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02890376