REDUCTIVE DECHLORINATION OF DDT TO DDD BY RAT-BLOOD

The present study provides evidence that the reductive dechlorination of DDT (p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) to DDD (p,p'-dichlorodip henyrdichloroethane) mediated by rat blood proceeds in the presence of both a reduced pyridine nucleotide and a flavin. The reduction appear s to proceed in two steps. The first step is reduction of a flavin suc h as FAD, FMN or riboflavin by NADPH or NADH, either enzymatically or nonenzymatically. The second step is nonenzymatic reductive dechlorina tion of DDT by the reduced flavin, catalyzed by the heme group of hemo globin.