Toxic Factors in Fat, A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Structure of Two Hydropericardium-Producing Factors from a Toxic Fat

Abstract

Two compounds, previously isolated from a toxic feed fat and capable of producing hydropericardium in chicks, were further characterized. Mass and other spectral data indicate that they are isomers with the molecular formula C14H,,Cls. A procedure was developed for reductive dehalogenation of l -mg. quantities of chlorinated hydrocarbons, with the resulting saturated hydrocarbons being identified by gas chromatography. Application of this procedure to the toxic compounds produced from each of them a mixture of isomeric perhydrophenanthrenes. This result provides strong evidence that the toxic compounds are hexachlorohexahydrophenanthrenes.URING the fall of 1957, the poultry

Studies of the Chick Edema Disease

“…In the light of current knowledge on the absorbability of dioxins (Firestone et al, 1971) and the lack of information about the manner of administration of toxic compound, diet, strain of bird, and other factors, 5 ng. or less of toxic compound as reported by Wootton and Courchene (1964) may be toxic to the chick.…”

“…polyhalogenated organic compound which, when administered to chicks, will elicit some or all of the characteristic symptoms previously reported to describe the chick edema disease (Allen and Lalich, 1962;Allen, 1964;Allen and Carstens, 1966;Flick et al, 1965aFlick et al, ,b, 1966Flick et al, , 1967Wootton and Courchene, 1964). From the data on total dioxins ingested by chicks (Table 2), it is apparent that chicks respond to intakes of 9 to 23 fig.…”

The identification and crystal structure of a hydropericardium-producing factor: 1,2,3,7,8,9-hexachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

“…Wootton and his colleagues proposed that HPTF was a chlorinated hexahydrophenanthrene with the empirical formula CI4H10C16. Following the molecular identification herein reported, Wootton (1966) showed that a synthetic hexachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, whose physical properties are remarkably similar to the isolated ct-3.17 material, does indeed produce the hydropericardium condition in chickens. *…”

Studies of the Chick Edema Disease

“…), elevated HP (<2 u,g. ), and severe edema are suggestive that the CEF preparation was cleaner than the purified concentrate reported by Flick et al (1965), and is on the order of toxicity for the fractions reported by Wootton and Courchene (1964). SUMMARY The following short-term studies have been completed on the chick edema disease: effect of age and level of toxic fatty material on the hydropericardial response of day-old and week-old White Leghorn cockerels, recovery of chicks with the disease, and calculation of the amounts of chick edema factor ingested which resulted in 50% mortality.…”