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Kinetic study of γ-hexabromocyclododecane orally given to laying hens (Gallus domesticus)

“Transfer of HBCD in laying hens”

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Abstract

Introduction

High concentrations of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) sometimes recorded in free-range hens' eggs are thought to be due to soil ingestion. Of the three stereoisomers of HBCD (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD), γ-HBCD is the main component in the commercial mixture, as well as in environmental matrices, whereas the isomer profile is α-dominated in biota. In fish and in mammals, this shift is thought to be due to a rapid elimination of γ-HBCD and to its bioisomerization to the more persistent α-HBCD. The aim of the current controlled study was to better understand the fate of ingested HBCD in laying hens. The isomer profile in soil being γ-dominated, excretion kinetics of γ-HBCD into egg yolk, and accumulation in liver and in abdominal fat were investigated.

Materials and methods

Forty-eight laying hens were individually housed and fed with a spiked diet containing 1.1-ng γ-HBCD per gram for 21 days and with a clean diet for the following 18 days. Hens were sequentially slaughtered throughout the 39-day experiment. α-, β-, and γ-HBCD were analyzed in egg yolk, in abdominal fat, and in liver by LC-MS/MS. α- and γ-HBCD were quantified in the three tissues, while β-HBCD was never quantified.

Results and conclusion

Kinetics of the two isomers suggests that γ-HBCD is rapidly biotransformed and eliminated, and partly isomerized into the more persistent α-HBCD. Carry-over rate of ingested γ-HBCD to egg yolk was estimated at 1.2%. Estimated half-lives of γ-HBCD in egg yolk, in abdominal fat, and in liver were 2.9, 13, and 0.41 days, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the French Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries for financial support from the Compte d'Affectation Spéciale Développement Agricole et Rural (CASDAR project no. 7106). The authors thank the staff of the Pôle d'Experimentation Avicole de Tours (PEAT) of Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) and of Unité de Recherche Animal et Fonctionnalités des Produits Animaux (URAFPA), for looking after the animals and feed preparation, and the staff of Qualité des Produits Animaux (QuaPA) of INRA for the sample preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche Animal et Fonctionnalités des Produits Animaux (UR AFPA), Nancy Université, INRA, ENSAIA, 2 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, BP 172, 54505, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Agnès Fournier, Cyril Feidt & Catherine Jondreville

  2. ITAVI, UMT Bird, UR83 Recherches Avicoles, BP1, 37380, Nouzilly, France

    Agnès Fournier & Angélique Travel

  3. Laboratoire d’Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), ONIRIS, Ecole nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l’alimentation Nantes-Atlantique, Atlanpole - La Chantrerie, BP 40706, 44307, Nantes, France

    Philippe Marchand, Anaïs Vénisseau & Bruno Le Bizec

  4. Pôle d’Expérimentation Avicole de Tours (PEAT), INRA, BP1, 37380, Nouzilly, France

    Nadine Sellier

  5. Unité de Recherche Qualité des Produits Animaux (QuaPA), UR370, INRA, 63122, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France

    Erwan Engel & Jérémy Ratel

Authors
  1. Agnès Fournier
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  2. Cyril Feidt
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  3. Philippe Marchand
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  4. Anaïs Vénisseau
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  6. Nadine Sellier
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  7. Erwan Engel
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  8. Jérémy Ratel
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  9. Angélique Travel
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  10. Catherine Jondreville
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Agnès Fournier.

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Responsible editor: Ake Bergman

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Fournier, A., Feidt, C., Marchand, P. et al. Kinetic study of γ-hexabromocyclododecane orally given to laying hens (Gallus domesticus). Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 440–447 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0573-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0573-6

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