Vol. 3, No. 2 131 ORIGINAL PAPER Pharmacokinetics of ovarian steroids in Sprague-Dawley rats after acute exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD) Brian K. Petroff 1,2,3 and Kemmy M. Mizinga4 2Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology,Physiology, 3Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160. 4Department of Pharmacology,Pharmacology, University of Health Sciences, Kansas City,City, MO 64106 Received: 3 June 2003; accepted: 28 June 2003 SUMMARY 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induces abnormalities in ste- roid-dependent processes such as mammary cell proliferation, gonadotropin release and maintenance of pregnancy. In the current study, the effects of TCDD on the pharmacokinetics of 17ß-estradiol and progesterone were examined. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized and pretreated with TCDD (15 µg/kg p.o.) or vehicle. A single bolus of 17ß-estradiol (E2, 0.3 µmol/kg i.v.) or progesterone (P4, 6 µmol/kg i.v.) was administered 24 hours after TCDD and blood was collected serially from 0-72 hours post- injection. Intravenous E2 and P4 in DMSO vehicle had elimination half-lives of approximately 10 and 11 hours, respectively. TCDD had no signifi cant effect on the pharmacokinetic parameters of P4. The elimination constant 1Corresponding author: Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Molecular and Integra- tive Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; e-mail:
[email protected] Copyright © 2003 by the Society for Biology of Reproduction 132 TCDD and ovarian steroid pharmacokinetics and clearance of E2 were decreased by TCDD while the elimination half-life, volume of distribution and area under the time*concentration curve were not altered signifi cantly.