抄録
About 900 patients, complaining of acne-like skin eruption, broke out in Northern Kyushu in June-October 1968. An exhaustive inquiry into the cause of this disease was carried out, and it was revealed that the disease was due to poisoning of chlorobiphenyl, which contaminated rice-bran oil consumed by the patients.
When laboratory investigation was carried out with the patients'serum, it was noted that serum triglyceride was markedly increased, whereas cholesterol and phospholipid in serum remained in the normal range, and it was assumed that chlorobiphenyl impaired their lipid metabolism.
Levels for free fatty acids in the patients'serum, especially palmitic acid in the fasting state, were found to be raised abnormally.
Animal experiments were performed with Wistar rats by administering chlorobiphenyl to compare the patients'symptoms of poisoning with those of rats. In the rats thus treated, plasma triglyceride decreased and cholesterol and phospholipid increased in contrast to the human poisoning. There were no significant changes in lipids of liver, skin and perirenal adipose tissue of the rats.
Thus, it was found that impairment of fat metabolism of the patients by chlorobiphenyl poisoning had no similarity to that of rats.
