Absolute stereochemistry of the major 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene- DNA adducts formed in mouse cells

The effect of plant phenolics on the formation of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-DNA adducts and TPA-stimulated polymorphonuclear neutrophils chemiluminescence in vitro

Phenolics, common plant constituents, form up an important part of human diet and are considered potential chemopreventive agents. In the present study, structurally diverse phenolics, such as tannic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid and resveratrol, were investigated for their inhibitory effects on covalent binding of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) to DNA in vitro and the suppression of oxidative burst in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). 32P-postlabeling analysis of DNA incubated with DMBA in the presence of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC)-induced microsomes produced three major adducts derived from anti-, syn- and anti-dihydrodiol epoxides through reactions with dGuo and dAdo, respectively. Phenolic compounds at the concentration of 150 microM reduced the levels of all DMBA-DNA adducts by 55-98%. The most dramatic effect was observed in case of tannic acid, which completely inhibited the formation of DMBA-dAdo adducts. Chlorogenic acid was the least effective inhibitor of DMBA-DNA adducts formation particularly syn-DMBADE-dAdo (20%). Human neutrophils showed a significant dose-related decrease of TPA-induced chemiluminescence after pretreatment with phenolic compounds. The most effective inhibitors were tannic acid and resveratrol with IC(50)=5.19 and 5.76 microM, respectively. These results suggest that the suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and carcinogen-DNA adducts formation may be important for anticarcinogenic activity of the examined phenolics.

Regio- and stereoselective metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene by Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1

The degradation of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), a carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, by cultures of Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 was studied. When M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 was grown in the presence of DMBA for 136 h, high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed the presence of four ethyl acetate-extractable compounds and unutilized substrate. Characterization of the metabolites by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry indicated initial attack at the C-5 and C-6 positions and on the methyl group attached to C-7 of DMBA. The metabolites were identified as cis-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA cis-5,6-dihydrodiol), trans-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA trans-5,6-dihydrodiol), and 7-hydroxymethyl-12-methylbenz[a]anthracene, suggesting dioxygenation and monooxygenation reactions. Chiral stationary-phase HPLC analysis of the dihydrodiols showed that DMBA cis-5,6-dihydrodiol had 95% 5S,6R and 5% 5R,6S absolute stereochemistry. On the other hand, the DMBA trans-5,6-dihydrodiol was a 100% 5S,6S enantiomer. A minor photooxidation product, 7,12-epidioxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, was also formed. The results demonstrate that M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 is highly regio- and stereoselective in the degradation of DMBA.

Reduction of a 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene DNA adduct in rat mammary tissue in vivo when pretreated with tamoxifen

Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogenic compound, has been approved for the treatment of breast cancer in high risk women. TAM has been shown to be an effective agent for prevention of breast cancer in women of varying degrees of risk and has been proposed to be used prophylactically in women whose genetic background suggests a high risk for breast cancer. However, it is not known whether TAM given prophylactically will alter the response of women to carcinogens from common environmental exposures such as tobacco smoke. Therefore, we studied the effects of TAM pretreatment on mammary DNA adducts of the model carcinogen, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), in the female rats to assess whether TAM would alter the adduct pattern of DMBA. TAM (0.3 mg/day) was given for 7 days prior to a single 20 mg DMBA gavage treatment that is considered a carcinogenic dose in the rat. At 7 days post-DMBA, there was a reduction in the major DMBA-DNA adduct and a significant reduction in the minor DMBA-DNA adduct in mammary glands (P=0.002) of TAM pretreated rats compared to control rats. These data indicate that TAM may alter either metabolic steps in the formation of DNA binding species and/or enhance adduct removal. These data suggest that TAM given to women prior to the development of breast cancer may modulate the impact of environmental exposures, for example, tobacco smoke. Furthermore, research is needed to determine if modulation will be positive, or negative as in the current study.

32P-Postlabeling high-performance liquid chromatographic improvements to characterize DNA adduct stereoisomers from benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[c]phenanthrene, and to separate DNA adducts from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

Single compounds can generate complex DNA adduct patterns by reactions through different pathways, with different target nucleotides and through different configurations of the products. DNA adduct analysis by 32P-HPLC was improved by adding an isocratic plateau in an otherwise linear gradient, thereby enhancing resolution of predictable retention time intervals. This enhanced 32P-HPLC technique was used to analyze and at least partly resolve 14 out of 16 available benzo[c]phenanthrene deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine adduct standards, 8 out of 8 available benzo[a]pyrene deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine adduct standards, and 51 peaks from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-calf thymus DNA reaction products. The same type of gradient modifications could be used to enhance resolution in analyses of other complex DNA adduct mixtures, e.g., in vivo in humans.

Correlation of individual papilloma latency time with DNA adducts, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and the rate of DNA synthesis in the epidermis of mice treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene

The question was addressed whether the risk of cancer of an individual in a heterogeneous population can be predicted on the basis of measurable biochemical and biological variables postulated to be associated with the process of chemical carcinogenesis. Using the skin tumor model with outbred male NMRI mice, the latency time for the appearance of a papilloma was used as an indicator of the individual cancer risk. Starting at 8 weeks of age, a group of 29 mice was treated twice weekly with 20 nmol of 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA) applied to back skin. The individual papilloma latency time ranged from 13.5 to 25 weeks of treatment. Two weeks after the appearance of the first papilloma in each mouse, an osmotic minipump delivering 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine was s.c. implanted and the mouse was killed 24 hr later. Levels of DMBA-DNA adducts, of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and various measures of the kinetics of cell division were determined in the epidermis of the treated skin area. The levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and the fraction of cells in DNA replication (labeling index for the incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine) were significantly higher in those mice that showed short latency times. On the other hand, the levels of DMBA-DNA adducts were lowest in animals with short latency times. The latter finding was rather unexpected but can be explained as a consequence of the inverse correlation seen for the labeling index: with each round of cell division, the adduct concentration is reduced to 50% because the new DNA strand is free of DMBA adducts until the next treatment. Under the conditions of this bioassay, therefore, oxygen radical-related genotoxicity and the rate of cell division, rather than levels of carcinogen-DNA adducts, were found to be of predictive value as indicators of an individual cancer risk.

Covalent binding of benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-epoxides to DNA: molecular structures, induced mutations and biological consequences

Optical spectroscopic techniques have been used to characterize adducts formed upon reaction of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of 7R,8S-dihydroxy 9S,10R-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (anti-BPDE) to DNA or synthetic oligonucleotides. The reaction yields preferentially adducts in which the exocyclic aminogroup of deoxyguanosine is bound to the C10 position of the diol epoxide either cis (BPDEc-N2-G adduct) or trans (BPDEt-N2-G adduct) relative to the hydroxyl group at the C9 position. The BPDEc-N2-G and BPDEt-N2-G adducts fall into the categories of type I and type II complexes, respectively. Two-dimensional NMR in conjunction with energy minimization computation have provided detailed information on the solution structure of single adducts localized in oligonucleotides. The results demonstrate that the pyrenyl chromophores of both the (+)- and (-)-BPDEt-N2-G adduct are located in a widened minor groove and directed towards the 5'-end [(+)-BPDEt-N2-G] or the 3'-end [(-)-BPDEt-N2-G] of the modified strand. The chromophore of the (+)-BPDEc-N2-G adduct is quasi-intercalated into the oligonucleotide and associated with a displacement of the deoxyguanosine ring into the minor groove. Replication of racemic or (+)-anti-BPDE modified DNA in mammalian cells leads predominantly to single point mutations of transversion type (GC-->TA). The mutagenic specificity however, appears to be determined by the base sequence context and local conformation at the adduct site. Cooperative adduct formation at certain base sequences is suggested by excimer fluorescence, most probably derived from two closely located (+)-BPDEt-N2-G adducts in adjacent base pairs on opposite DNA-strands.

HPLC separation of 32P-postlabelled DNA adducts formed from dibenz[a,h]anthracene in skin

Mouse skin and human skin have been treated in vivo or in short-term organ culture with dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DB[a,h]A), the related 3,4- or 5,6-diols or the anti- or syn-3,4-diol 1,2-oxides. DNA hydrolysates have been 32P-postlabelled and the adducts present examined by HPLC using a phenyl-modified reverse phase column and, for comparison, by PEI-cellulose TLC and autoradiography. The adducts formed when the diol-epoxides were reacted with salmon sperm DNA were also examined. The results show that in mouse skin treated in vivo, the major adducts formed from DB[a,h]A and the 3,4-diol were the same and that two of them were more polar than those formed in skin or in DNA that had been treated with the related anti- or syn-diol epoxides. Human skin treated with DB[a,h]A in culture yielded an adduct profile that was qualitatively similar to the profiles obtained with mouse skin.

The in vitro metabolic activation of dibenz[a,h]anthracene, catalyzed by by rat liver microsomes and examined by 32P-postlabelling

DNA has been incubated in vitro with dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DB[a,H]A) and the related 5,6-diol and 3,4-diol in the presence of 3-methylcholanthrene- or Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver microsomes. After incubation, the DNA was extracted and examined for the presence of aromatic adducts using the nuclease P1 modification of the 32P-postlabelling technique. The maps of PEI-cellulose plates and autoradiography showed that 92% of the radioactivity contained in DB[a,h]A-DNA adduct spots is derived from the related 3,4-diol and that about 50% of the adducts may be formed following the conversion of this diol to the bay-region anti- and syn-3,4-diol 1,2-oxides.

Absolute configuration of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-DNA adducts in mouse epidermis

32P-Postlabeling was used to monitor the formation of DMBA-DNA adducts in mouse epidermis from each enantiomer of the trans 3,4-dihydrodiol. It was shown that the (4R,3R)-dihydrodiol is converted to the anti (4R,3S)-dihydrodiol (2S,1R)-epoxide which reacts with deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine residues in epidermal DNA to yield two of the major adducts formed when DMBA itself binds to epidermal DNA. The third major DMBA-derived adduct with deoxyadenosine residues was shown to arise from the (4S,3R)-dihydrodiol through the intermediacy of the syn (4S,3R)-dihydrodiol (2S,1R)-epoxide.

Mechanism of action of food-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogens

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogens are formed in the inefficient combustion of organic matter and contaminate foods through direct deposition from the atmosphere or during cooking or smoking of foods. These potent carcinogens and mutagens require metabolism to dihydrodiol epoxide metabolites in order to express their biological activities. In vitro studies show that these reactive metabolites can react with the bases in DNA with different specificities depending upon the hydrocarbon from which they are derived. Thus, the more potent carcinogens react more extensively with adenine residues in DNA than do the less potent carcinogens, with the result that mutation at A . T base pairs is enhanced for the more potent carcinogens. In the past few years, considerable clarification of the mechanism of metabolic activation have been achieved and the focus for the immediate future is expected to be on how the reactive metabolites actually bring about biological responses.

Covalent bonding of bay-region diol epoxides to nucleic acids

Although the solution chemistry of diol epoxides is now fairly well understood, a great deal remains to be elucidated regarding their reaction in the presence of DNA. Not only DNA but also small molecules are capable of sequestering diol epoxides in aqueous solutions with equilibrium constants on the order of 10(2)-10(4) M-1. In the case of DNA, at least two major families of complexes are presently recognized, possibly the result of groove binding vs. intercalation. As is the case for diol epoxides free in solution, the complexed diol epoxides undergo solvolysis to tetraols and in some cases possibly to keto diols as well. Fractionation between covalent bonding and solvolysis from within the complex(s) is determined more by the nature of the parent hydrocarbon from which the diol epoxide is derived than any other factor. Studies of a wide variety of alkylating and arylating agents have show that practically every potentially nucleophilic site on DNA can serve as a target for modification. In the case of the diol epoxides, practically all of the modification occurs at the exocyclic amino groups of the purine bases. In contrast to the diol epoxides, other epoxides such as those derived from aflatoxin B1, vinyl chloride, propylene, 9-vinylanthracene, and styrene preferentially bind to the aromatic ring nitrogens N-7 in guanine and N-3 in adenine (cf. Chadha et al., 1989). Molecular modeling as well as the spectroscopic evidence suggests that the hydrocarbon portion of the diol epoxides lies in the minor groove of DNA when bound to the exocyclic 2-amino group of guanine and in the major groove when bound to the exocyclic 6-amino group of adenine. Detailed conformational analysis of adducted DNA should prove to be extremely valuable in developing mechanistic models for the enzymatic processing of chemically altered DNA. At present, the critical lesion or lesions responsible for induction of neoplasia remains obscured by the large number of apparently noncritical adducts which form when polycyclic hydrocarbon diol epoxides bond to DNA.

Effect of dietary butylated hydroxytoluene on the in vivo distribution, metabolism and DNA-binding of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

The effect of dietary intake of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (0.6%) on the in vivo distribution, metabolism and DNA-binding of intragastrically administered 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) was evaluated. Urinary excretion of DMBA increased, blood content of metabolized DMBA increased and blood content of non-metabolized DMBA decreased for rats fed the diet containing BHT as compared to rats fed the control diet. The binding of DMBA to both liver and mammary DNA decreased for rats fed the diet containing BHT as compared to controls. The liver activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), epoxide hydrolase (EH) and NAD(P)H-quinone reductase (QR) increased in response to BHT feeding. However, no increase in the mammary tissue activities of these enzymes was observed. These results suggest that the ability of dietary BHT to inhibit the initiation of DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis partly may be due to decreased binding of DMBA to mammary DNA. This effect of BHT is not due to an increase in mammary tissue activities of GST, EH and QR, enzymes involved in carcinogen detoxification, but may involve increased liver metabolism of DMBA to products that do not bind to DNA.