The toxic effects of polychlorinated biphenlys (PCB) on embryonic chickens, especially on liver morphology, were studied. PCB (Aroclor 1 254) was injected into yolk of Hyline fertilized eggs, with doses of 0, 1, 10 and 100 μg/egg, respectively. The survival rate of chicken embryos in each PCB treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The hatching rate of 1 μg/egg group was only 40%. Subcutaneous edema and hydrocephally were found in dead embryos and newly hatched chicks of all treatment groups. Livers of newly hatched chickens were removed for examination of histological structures. After PCB treatment, severe liver injury was apparent. The hepatic structures were damaged and steatosis was observed, together with necrosis and cell vacuolation and pyknosis. There were more Kupffers cells in the hepatic sinusoid. No PAS positive staining was found in the hepatic cytoplasm, indicating that glycogen was exhausted in the hepatic cells. The higher death rate in PCB treated groups may be related to glycogen exhaustion. These findings indicate that PCBs reduced the hatching rate by causing severe subcutaneous edema and liver injury in chicken embryos.
