Effects of PCB 52 Exposure Via Sub-Acute Nose-Only Inhalation on Gene Expression in Fat Depots of Adolescent Rats

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental toxicants that pose a variety of health risks in humans. PCB 52 has been found in the indoor air of schools where adolescent students and staff are being actively exposed. This study examined the three different fat depots, namely, brown adipose tissue (BAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), of adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats after sub-acute exposure to PCB 52 via nose-only inhalation. Rats were exposed for 4 hours daily for 28 consecutive days. RNA extracted from both male and female fat depots were submitted for RNA sequencing to compare the effects of PCB 52 on the expression of genes in the fat depots. To determine the gene expression alterations following PCB 52 inhalation exposure in adolescent rats, samples from male and female fat depots (BAT, SAT, and VAT) were processed for RNA sequencing. (N = 6 per sex; Samples were excluded if RNA RINs were below 8).