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Uptake of Diethylstilbestrol by Edible Plants¹

Colorado State University², Fort Collins

Abstract

To evaluate the uptake of diethylstilbestrol (DES) by plants and its fate in soil, 0.9 me. of ¹⁴C-DES was administered subcutaneously to a steer and feces and urine were collected. The excreta were mixed with two sandy loam soil types (pH 6.5 and pH 7.5) and wheat, pinto beans,lettuce, radishes, onions and potatoes were grown in the soils under green-house conditions. Radioactivity was determined for various parts of the plants and for extracts of the soil-manure mixtures. All plant parts were radioactive, but mouse uterine weight assay showed that only lettuce roots and radish leaves grown at pH 7.5 had uterotropic activity. The soil at pH 6.5 had no extractable, residual uterotropic activity, while only one-third of the original activity was extracted from the alkaline soil. The radioactive material was not appreciably leached from the soil nor were plants capable of its removal after 5 weeks. Although the nature of the metabolites of DES produced by the two soil types is of continuing interest, there appears to be no danger from the use of manure from DES-treated cattle as fertilizer for these edible plants.

¹ Supported by Grant AM 07903 from the National Institutes of Health.

² Departments of Botany and Plant Pathology and Biochemistry.