Role of aromatic hydrocarbons in disclosing how catecholestrogens initiate cancer

Human Biomonitoring of DNA Adducts by Ion Trap Multistage Mass Spectrometry

Humans are continuously exposed to hazardous chemicals in the environment. These chemicals or their electrophilic metabolites can form adducts with genomic DNA, which can lead to mutations and the initiation of cancer. The identification of DNA adducts is required for understanding exposure and the etiological role of a genotoxic chemical in cancer risk. The analytical chemist is confronted with a great challenge because the levels of DNA adducts generally occur at <1 adduct per 10(7) nucleotides, and the amount of tissue available for measurement is limited. Ion trap mass spectrometry has emerged as an important technique to screen for DNA adducts because of the high level sensitivity and selectivity, particularly when employing multi-stage scanning (MS(n) ). The product ion spectra provide rich structural information and corroborate the adduct identities even at trace levels in human tissues. Ion trap technology represents a significant advance in measuring DNA adducts in humans. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Investigating the relationship between embryotoxic and genotoxic effects of benzo[a]pyrene, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol and endosulfan on Crassostrea gigas embryos

Genotoxicity biomarkers are widely measured in ecotoxicology as molecular toxic endpoints of major environmental pollutants. However, the long-term consequences of such damage still have to be elucidated. Some authors have suggested that the accumulation of unrepaired DNA lesions could explain the embryotoxicity of certain chemical pollutants. As embryotoxicity exerts a direct impact on the recruitment rate, genotoxicity could be closely related to disturbances of ecological concern and produce a possible impact upon population dynamics. The aim of the present work was to study the genotoxicity and the embryotoxicity of three relevant pollutants for oyster embryos: the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), the synthetic estrogenic hormone, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and the organochlorine pesticide, endosulfan (ES). For each substance, gamete fertilization was performed and embryo development followed in contaminated reference seawater. Following exposure, embryotoxicity was evaluated by calculating the percentage of abnormal D-larvae obtained at 20 h development. Genotoxicity was measured in parallel by conducting a comet assay on enzymatically dissociated cells of pre-shelled larvae (16 h development). The oxidized DNA base, 8-oxodGuo, was also measured by HPLC coupled to electrochemical detection. For each contaminant, the relationship between genotoxicity and embryotoxicity was then studied to check for the possible significance of genotoxicity in the population dynamics of marine bivalves from polluted areas. For BaP, embryotoxicity and DNA strand breakage were both observed from the lowest tested concentration of 0.2 nM. Induction of 8-oxodGuo was significant from 20 nM. Endosulfan exposure resulted in similar effects for oyster embryos but from higher concentrations and followed a concentration-dependent manner. Embryotoxicity and genotoxicity in terms of DNA strand breaks were observed for endosulfan from 300 and 150 nM, respectively. No change in 8-oxodGuo level was observed following endosulfan exposure. EE2 displayed no toxic effect for oyster embryos within the range of tested concentrations (from 0.02 to 1.7 nM). Taking into account all the data collected during this study, a positive and significant correlation was demonstrated in oyster embryos between genotoxicity as measured by the comet assay and embryotoxicity.

Cytochrome P450 1B1–Mediated Estrogen Metabolism Results in Estrogen-Deoxyribonucleoside Adduct Formation

The oxidative metabolism of estrogens has been implicated in the development of breast cancer; yet, relatively little is known about the mechanism by which estrogens cause DNA damage and thereby initiate mammary carcinogenesis. To determine how the metabolism of the parent hormone 17beta-estradiol (E2) leads to the formation of DNA adducts, we used the recombinant, purified phase I enzyme, cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1), which is expressed in breast tissue, to oxidize E2 in the presence of 2'-deoxyguanosine or 2'-deoxyadenosine. We used both gas and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to measure E2, the 2- and 4-catechol estrogens (2-OHE2, 4-OHE2), and the depurinating adducts 4-OHE(2)-1(alpha,beta)-N7-guanine (4-OHE2-N7-Gua) and 4-OHE(2)-1(alpha,beta)-N3-adenine (4-OHE2-N3-Ade). CYP1B1 oxidized E2 to the catechol 4-OHE2 and the labile quinone 4-hydroxyestradiol-quinone to produce 4-OHE2-N7-Gua and 4-OHE2-N3-Ade in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Because the reactive quinones were produced as part of the CYP1B1-mediated oxidation reaction, the adduct formation followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Under the conditions of the assay, the 4-OHE2-N7-Gua adduct (Km, 4.6+/-0.7 micromol/L; kcat, 45+/-1.6/h) was produced 1.5 times more efficiently than the 4-OHE2-N3-Ade adduct (Km, 4.6+/-1.0 micromol/L; kcat, 30+/-1.5/h). The production of adducts was two to three orders of magnitude lower than the 4-OHE2 production. The results present direct proof of CYP1B1-mediated, E2-induced adduct formation and provide the experimental basis for future studies of estrogen carcinogenesis.

Catechol metabolites of polychlorinated biphenyls inhibit the catechol-O-methyltransferase-mediated metabolism of catechol estrogens

The catechol metabolites of estradiol, 2- and 4-hydroxyestradiol (2-OHE(2) and 4-OHE(2), respectively) are potent signaling molecules and are hypothesized to be central to estrogen-linked carcinogenesis. Methylation by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is the principal means of catechol estrogen (CE) deactivation in the liver and other tissues. The present studies were conducted to determine the effects of PCBs and catechol metabolites of PCBs on the COMT-mediated catabolism of 4-OHE(2) and 2-OHE(2) in vitro and in vivo. Liver homogenates of female Sprague-Dawley rats treated with Aroclor 1254 for 21 days (5 mg/kg/day) showed a 30 and 40% reduction of COMT activity toward 2-OHE(2) and 4-OHE(2), respectively. Incubation of [(3)H]-beta-estradiol with these same liver homogenates, followed by HPLC analysis, demonstrated an elevation of CEs and a nearly complete reduction in levels of methylated catechol estrogens. In classical enzyme kinetics studies, COMT was demonstrated to have a high affinity for catechol PCBs, with K(m)'s approximately equivalent to those of CEs. Catechol PCBs were also potent inhibitors of CE O-methylation. These data suggest that PCBs may significantly alter the metabolism of catechol estrogens in vivo and that this effect may be mediated by catechol metabolites of PCBs. It is further speculated that methyltransferase inhibition by PCB catechols may contribute to PCB-mediated endocrine effects and liver carcinogenesis.

Phenolphthalein metabolite inhibits catechol-O-methyltransferase-mediated metabolism of catechol estrogens: a possible mechanism for carcinogenicity

Phenolphthalein (PT), used in over-the-counter laxatives, has recently been identified as a multisite carcinogen in rodents, but the molecular species responsible for the carcinogenicity is not known. A catechol metabolite of PT, hydroxyphenolphthalein (PT-CAT), was recently identified and may be the molecular species responsible for at least part of the toxicity/carcinogenicity of PT. We hypothesize that PT-CAT inhibits the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and therefore potentiates genotoxicity by either PT-CAT itself or the endogenous catechol estrogens (CEs) in susceptible tissues. The present studies were conducted to determine the effects of PT treatment and PT-CAT itself on the COMT-mediated metabolism of 4- and 2-hydroxyestradiol both in vitro and in vivo. Female mice were treated with PT (50 mg/kg/d) for 21 days and then euthanized. PT-CAT concentration in urine reached plateau levels by 7 days of exposure. An O-methylated metabolite of PT-CAT was detected in feces. In vitro experiments demonstrated that PT treatment resulted in an increase in free CEs, which are normally cleared by COMT and a concurrent decrease in the capacity of hepatic catechol clearance by COMT. In vitro, PT-CAT was a substrate of COMT, with kinetic properties within the range measured with endogenous substrates. PT-CAT was an extremely potent mixed-type inhibitor of the O-methylation of the catechol estrogens, with 90-300 nM IC50s. The above data, when taken together, suggest that chronic administration of PT may enhance metabolic redox cycling of both PT-CAT and the catechol estrogens and this, in turn, may contribute to PT-induced tumorigenesis.