Effect of 3-methylcholanthrene induction on the distribution and DNA adduction of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) in F344 rats

Validation of the 3D reconstructed human skin Comet assay, an animal-free alternative for following-up positive results from standard in vitro genotoxicity assays

As part of the safety assessment process, all industrial sectors employ genotoxicity test batteries, starting with well-established in vitro assays. However, these batteries have limited predictive capacity for the in vivo situation, which may result in unnecessary follow-up in vivo testing or the loss of promising substances where animal tests are prohibited or not desired. To address this, a project involving regulators, academia and industry was established to develop and validate in vitro human skin-based genotoxicity assays for topically exposed substances, such as cosmetics ingredients. Here, we describe the validation of the 3D reconstructed skin (RS) Comet assay. In this multicenter study, chemicals were applied topically three times to the skin over 48 h. Isolated keratinocytes and fibroblasts were transferred to slides before electrophoresis and the resulting comet formation was recorded as % tail DNA. Before decoding, results of the validation exercise for 32 substances were evaluated by an independent statistician. There was a high predictive capacity of this assay when compared to in vivo outcomes, with a sensitivity of 77 (80)%, a specificity of 88 (97)% and an overall accuracy of 83 (92)%. The numbers reflect the calls of the performing laboratories in the coded phase, whereas those in parenthesis reflect calls according to the agreed evaluation criteria. Intra- and inter-laboratory reproducibility was also very good, with a concordance of 93 and 88%, respectively. These results generated with the Phenion® Full-Thickness skin model demonstrate its suitability for this assay, with reproducibly low background DNA damage and sufficient metabolic capacity to activate pro-mutagens. The validation outcome supports the use of the RS Comet assay to follow up positive results from standard in vitro genotoxicity assays when the expected route of exposure is dermal. Based on the available data, the assay was accepted recently into the OECD test guideline development program.

Validation of the 3D reconstructed human skin micronucleus (RSMN) assay: an animal-free alternative for following-up positive results from standard in vitro genotoxicity assays

In vitro test batteries have become the standard approach to determine the genotoxic potential of substances of interest across industry sectors. While useful for hazard identification, standard in vitro genotoxicity assays in 2D cell cultures have limited capability to predict in vivo outcomes and may trigger unnecessary follow-up animal studies or the loss of promising substances where animal tests are prohibited or not desired. To address this problem, a team of regulatory, academia and industry scientists was established to develop and validate 3D in vitro human skin-based genotoxicity assays for use in testing substances with primarily topical exposure. Validation of the reconstructed human skin micronucleus (RSMN) assay in MatTek Epi-200™ skin models involved testing 43 coded chemicals selected by independent experts, in four US/European laboratories. The results were analysed by an independent statistician according to predefined criteria. The RSMN assay showed a reproducibly low background micronucleus frequency and exhibited sufficient capacity to metabolise pro-mutagens. The overall RSMN accuracy when compared to in vivo genotoxicity outcomes was 80%, with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 84%, and the between- and within-laboratory reproducibility was 77 and 84%, respectively. A protocol involving a 72-h exposure showed increased sensitivity in detecting true positive chemicals compared to a 48-h exposure. An analysis of a test strategy using the RSMN assay as a follow-up test for substances positive in standard in vitro clastogenicity/aneugenicity assays and a reconstructed skin Comet assay for substances with positive results in standard gene mutation assays results in a sensitivity of 89%. Based on these results, the RSMN assay is considered sufficiently validated to establish it as a ‘tier 2’ assay for dermally exposed compounds and was recently accepted into the OECD’s test guideline development program.

Chemopreventive compounds--view from the other side

Increasing attention is being paid to the possibility of applying chemopreventive agents for the protection of individuals from cancer risk. The beneficial potential of chemoprotective compounds is usually well documented by extensive experimental data. To assure the desired effect, these compounds are frequently concentrated to produce dietary supplements for human use. The additive and synergistic effects of other food constituents are, however, frequently ignored. Even natural chemopreventive compounds have to be considered as xenobiotics. Thus, as much attention has to be paid to their testing prior to their wide application as is usual in drug development for human treatment. Unfortunately, much of the research in this area is solely based on simplified in vitro systems that cannot take into account the complexity of biotransformation processes, e.g. chemopreventive compound-drug interaction, effect on metabolism of endogenic compounds. Hence, the predicted chemopreventive potential is not attained in respect of cancer prevention; moreover, the administration of high doses of chemopreventive compounds might be even detrimental for the human health.

Effect of Black Tea Intake on the Excretion of Mutagens in the Urine of Volunteers Taking a Beef Meal

The objective of this study was to investigate in a crossover study conducted in human volunteers whether black tea intake modulates the metabolism of heterocyclic amines, consumed in the form of well-cooked beefburgers, as exemplified by the excretion of mutagens in the urine. Mutagens were extracted from urine with blue rayon, and mutagenic activity was determined in the Ames test, in the presence of an activation system derived from Aroclor 1254–induced rats, and employing the Salmonella typhimurium O-acetylase over-expressing YG1024 bacterial strain. Volunteers consumed three well-cooked beefburgers, whereas a concurrently cooked fourth burger was analyzed for mutagenic activity. Following intake of the burgers, an increase in urinary mutagenic activity was observed, and mutagenic activity was completely excreted within 24 hours. A good correlation was obtained between the intake and excretion of mutagenic activity. The volunteers consumed the same burger meal on two different occasions, once following intake of 10 cups of strong black tea, and the second following intake of a corresponding volume of water. Urine was collected by each volunteer for 24 hours after the meal, and compliance was ascertained utilizing the excretion of p-aminobenzoic acid. The mutagenic ratio, defined as the ratio of urinary mutagenicity over the intake of mutagenicity, was not altered by the black tea, being 0.142 and 0.135 during the water and tea intake, respectively. It is inferred that short-term intake of high levels of black tea, as part of an otherwise normal diet, does not modulate the human metabolism of heterocyclic amines.

Effect of CYP1A2 deficiency on heterocyclic amine DNA adduct levels in mice

The contribution of CYP1A2 to the formation of DNA adducts of the cooked meat-derived heterocyclic amines (HCAs) 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) was examined in CYP1A2-null (knock-out, KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. IQ (25 mg and 75 mg/kg) and PhIP (150 mg/kg) were administered by gavage to mice and DNA adduct levels in liver, kidney, mammary gland and colon were examined by the 32P-postlabeling assay. Three hours after either dose of IQ, adducts levels in liver and kidney of KO mice were 20-30% of the levels in WT mice, a difference that was statistically significant (Student's t-test, P < 0.05). In the colon, adduct levels in KO mice were significantly lower than in the WT mice only at the lowest dose of IQ (1.6+/-0.6 vs 4.6+/-0.7, respectively, relative adduct labeling (RAL) x 10(8), mean+/-S.E.M., n = 3-5 mice). In the mammary gland, however, there was no difference in IQ-DNA adduct levels in KO and WT mice at either dose of IQ. Three hours after dosing with PhIP, PhIP-DNA adduct levels were statistically significantly lower in KO mice than in WT mice in all tissues examined. PhIP-DNA adducts in liver and kidney of WT mice were 9.9+/-1.1 and 22.5+/-6.9, respectively, whereas no PhIP-DNA adducts were detected in either organ of KO mice (limit of detection, 1.4-2.8 x 10(9)). PhIP-DNA adduct levels in mammary gland and colon of WT mice were 47.1+/-9.5 and 58.0+/-21.7, respectively, but accordingly only 3.8+/-0.7 and 5.4+/-0.9 in KO mice. The findings indicate that CYP1A2, responsible for IQ and PhIP N-hydroxylation, the first step in the metabolic action, significantly effects DNA adduct formation in vivo. However, the data raise the possibility that other cytochromes P450 as well as other pathways of activation potentially contribute to DNA adduct formation in specific organs, depending on the HCA substrate.

DNA adducts of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) in fetal tissues of patas monkeys after transplacental exposure

Transplacental genotoxicity of the heterocyclic amine food-derived mutagen/carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) has been investigated by (32)P-postlabeling assay for IQ-DNA adducts in maternal liver, placenta, and several fetal tissues of patas monkeys, after exposure to 15, 35, or 50 mg/kg IQ near the end of gestation or to the highest dose in the first or second trimester. Dose-dependent adduct formation occurred in all tissues, with the highest levels occurring in maternal liver. Adduct amounts were similar among fetal tissues and placenta, except for lower levels in fetal brain and slightly more adducts in fetal liver. Adducts in placenta, fetal liver, lung, kidney, skin, and adrenal gland, but not in maternal liver or fetal brain, increased significantly as gestation progressed. Pretreatment with phenobarbital, which induces CYP enzymes that detoxify IQ, decreased adducts in maternal liver and possibly placenta, but not in fetal tissues. The CYP inducer beta-naphthoflavone caused a significant increase in IQ-DNA adducts in fetal lungs. Regression analysis suggested that IQ activation in maternal and fetal liver and possibly placenta contributed to adduct formation in fetal tissues; adducts in placenta and/or fetal liver were strong predictors for those in most fetal tissues. The results indicate that exposure of pregnant primates to IQ results in DNA adduct formation in most fetal tissues, especially late in gestation; that upregulation of maternal detoxification does not provide fetal protection; and that adducts in placenta indicate adduct levels in fetal tissues.

Genotoxicity of 3-methylcholanthrene in liver of transgenic big Blue mice

Transgenic mice provide a unique tool for studying the tissue specificity and mutagenic potential of chemicals. Because 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) was found mutagenic in bacteria, clastogenic in bone marrow, and induces DNA adducts in animals, we were interested to determinine whether this xenobiotic provokes (1) cell proliferation, (2) transcriptional activity changes, (3) DNA adducts, and (4) hepatic mutations in transgenic Big Blue mice carrying the lambdaLIZ phage shuttle vector. Big Blue C57/Bl male mice were treated with a single intraperitoneal dose of 80 mg/kg 3MC for 1, 3, 6, 14, or 30 days. Cell proliferation was checked by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling and immunohistochemical detection. The maximal increase of the mitotic index was evidenced after 3 days (2.9 times the control value; P < 0.01). The relative nucleus area, reflecting the transcriptional activity, was also the highest in the treated group after 3 days: 1.86 times the control value, on average (P < 0.01). Four major DNA adducts, determined according to the [(32)P]-postlabeling method, were evidenced in liver DNA of treated mice, 6 days after the treatment: the spot intensities increased in a time-dependent manner. The mutant frequency of liver DNA was the highest after 14 days: 20.3 +/- 2.9 x 10(-5) in the treated vs. 7.6 +/- 2.7 x 10(-5) in the control mice (P < 0.01). Sequencing of the lambda lacI mutant plaques showed mainly G:C --> T:A and C:G --> A:T transversions. In conclusion, 3MC at first induced nuclear enlargement and a slight increase of cell proliferation in liver, followed by parallel formation of DNA adducts and mutations. This study shows how transgenic models allow in vivo evaluation of mechanistically simultaneous endpoints.

Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on DNA adduct formation of PhIP and IQ after bolus administration to female F344 rats

Meats cooked at high temperatures contain mutagenic heterocyclic amines such as 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ). In female Fischer 344 rats, IQ is a multiorgan carcinogen, whereas PhIP induces mammary adenocarcinomas. For IQ and PhIP, N-hydroxylation, catalyzed by microsomal cytochrome P-450 1A1 and/or 1A2, and then esterification, especially O-acetylation, are the principal steps leading to DNA adduct formation. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a mixture of conjugated linoleic acid isomers found in various meat and dairy products. We have examined the effect of dietary CLA on DNA adduct formation by PhIP and IQ in female Fischer 344 rats. Four-week-old animals were maintained on AIN-76A diet without or with CLA (4% wt/wt) and treated with IQ or PhIP (50 mg/kg by gavage) after two weeks. Animals were killed (4/group) one, four, and eight days later. DNA isolated from mammary epithelial cells, liver, colon, and white blood cells was analyzed for carcinogen-DNA adducts by 32P-postlabeling assays. On Day 1, dietary CLA significantly inhibited adduct formation (82.0%) in mammary epithelial cells in IQ--but not in PhIP-treated rats. In the colon, dietary CLA significantly inhibited PhIP-DNA adduct formation (18.7%) on Day 8 but increased IQ-DNA adduct formation (30.5%) on Day 8. Dietary CLA had no effect on adduct levels in liver or white blood cells. Calf thymus DNA was incubated with N-hydroxy-PhIP or -IQ in the presence of acetyl-CoA. Enzymatic activation was catalyzed by liver or mammary cytosol. A two-week pretreatment with 2% (wt/wt) dietary CLA had no effect on O-acetyltransferase-catalyzed IQ- or PhIP-DNA adduct formation. It is concluded, under certain conditions, that dietary CLA can lower IQ- and PhIP-DNA adduct formation. Overall, however, the major mode of action of CLA is probably by a mechanism other than the inhibition of the N-hydroxylation and subsequent O-acetylation of PhIP or IQ.

DNA adducts of heterocyclic amine food mutagens: implications for mutagenesis and carcinogenesis

The heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are a family of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds produced during the pyrolysis of creatine, amino acids and proteins. The major subclass of HCAs found in the human diet comprise the aminoimidazoazaarenes (AIAs) 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (DiMeIQx) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). All, except DiMeIQx, have been shown to be carcinogenic in animals. These compounds are present in cooked muscle meats at the p.p.b. level. Since the discovery of the HCAs in the late 1970s, many studies have examined the DNA adducts of these compounds. This review compiles the literature on AIA-DNA adducts including their identification and characterization, pathways of formation, mutagenesis in vitro and in vivo, and their association with carcinogenesis in animal models. It is now known that metabolic activation leading to the formation of DNA adducts is critical for mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of these compounds. All of the AIAs studied adduct to the guanine base, the major adduct being formed at the C8 position. Two AIAs, IQ and MeIQx, also form minor adducts at the N2 position of guanine. A growing body of literature has reported on the mutation spectra induced by AIA-guanine adducts. Studies of animal tumors induced by AIAs have begun to relate AIA-DNA adduct-induced mutagenic events with the mutations found in critical genes associated with oncogenesis. Several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of chemoprevention of AIA tumorigenesis. Only a few studies have reported on the detection of AIA-DNA adducts in human tissues; difficulties persist in the routine detection of AIA-DNA adducts in humans for the purpose of biomonitoring of exposure to AIAs. The AIAs are nevertheless regarded as possible human carcinogens, and future research on AIA-DNA adducts is likely to help address the role of AIAs in human cancer.

Effects of enzyme induction on the distribution of the food carcinogen 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-imidazo[4,5-ss]-quinoxaline (MeIQx) in Ah-receptor- responsive- and Ah-receptor-non-responsive mice

The distribution of the food carcinogen 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-imidazo[4,5-ss]quinoxaline (MeIQx) was studied in Ah-responsive-(C57BL/6J) and Ah-non-responsive mice (DBA/2N). The time dependent organ distribution of radioactivity after 14C-MeIQx (10 mg/kg) administration in C57BL/6J showed that at day 4 most of the radioactivity had been excreted and that the remaining radioactivity was found in liver, kidneys, lungs and spleen. C57BL/6J bound more radioactivity in the kidneys than the DBA/2N strain whereas approximately the same amount was left in the liver and lungs in both strains 4 days after MeIQx exposure. Liver microsomes of the two strains had approximately the same ability to activate MeIQx in the Ames Salmonella assay. beta-Naphthoflavone treatment of the animals greatly increased microsomal activating capacity, but only in the C57BL/6J strain. Isosafrole treatment of the animals only slightly increased the activating capacity, but particularly with microsomes from the DBA/2N strain, displacement of the putative inhibitory isosafrole metabolite greatly increased their activating capacity. In the whole animals pretreatment with beta-naphthoflavone, which induces P450IA only in the C57BL/6J strain, did not significantly change the amount of retained radioactivity in any of the strains. Isosafrole induces only P450IA2, the major N2-hydroxylating enzyme of heterocyclic amines, in both strains. Such pretreatment reduced the amount retained in the kidney of both strains whereas it reduced the retained amount of radioactivity in the liver with about 60% only in the Ah-non-responsive strain (DBA/2N). The effect of isosafrole did not persist when MeIQx was given three days after the last injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Formation and removal of DNA adducts in the liver of rats chronically fed the food-borne carcinogen, 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline

Effects of chronic administration of 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) at 0.4, 8 and 400 ppm in the diet on DNA adduct formation and removal in the rat liver were examined by the 32P-postlabeling method. The 0.4 and 8 ppm doses for 40 weeks resulted in time-dependent increases in MeIQx-DNA adduct levels until 16 and 8 weeks, respectively, with constant values being maintained thereafter. In the case of a carcinogenic dose (400 ppm) of MeIQx, the adduct levels reached a maximum at week 12, and then gradually decreased. Alteration of metabolism of MeIQx during liver carcinogensis might be related to this decrease in DNA adduct levels. When MeIQx administration was stopped at week 20, 60-90% of the MeIQx-DNA adducts formed with the three doses (0.4, 8 and 400 ppm) of MeIQx were removed in a biphasic manner after return to a basal diet, with initial rapid removal followed by a slow change. No difference in the pattern of MeIQx-DNA adducts was detected on thin layer chromatography at any dose at any time point. Thus, it is suggested that there may be at least two types of damaged DNA, susceptible and resistant to removal of MeIQx-DNA adducts, after chronic administration of MeIQx.

Effects of beta-carotene and canthaxanthin on liver xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the rat

The activities of several phase I and phase II xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes have been measured in liver microsomes and cytosol of male rats that had been fed for 15 days with diets containing beta-carotene or canthaxanthin (300 mg/kg diet) or an excess of vitamin A (70,000 IU/kg diet), or to which beta-carotene had been administered by ip injections (7 x 10 mg/kg body weight). Microsomal cytochrome P-450 and the associated NADH- and NADPH-cytochrome c reductases were assayed, as well as several phase I and phase II enzyme activities. Phase I activities were markers of the families 1, 2, 3 and 4 of P-450; phase II activities were microsomal UDP glucuronosyl transferases (UGT) and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST). Canthaxanthin accumulated in liver to a much higher level than did ingested or injected beta-carotene. Canthaxanthin increased the liver content of cytochrome P-450 (control value x 1.7), and the activity of NADH-cytochrome c reductase (x 1.5), and of some P-450-dependent enzymes (ethoxy-, methoxy-, pentoxy- and benzoxyresorufin O-dealkylases; x98, x15, x6.5 and x13, respectively), but not of others (erythromycin N-demethylase, nitrosodimethylamine N-demethylase and laurate omega-hydroxylase). Phase II activities were also increased: UGT1 (x3.4), UGT2 (x1.2) and GST (x1.2). This induction profile, characterized by the very strong increase of the activity associated with P4501A1, and the co-induction of UGT1, closely resemble that of a classical inducer, 3-methylcholanthrene. By contrast, neither beta-carotene (fed or injected), nor an excess of vitamin A induced any significant variation of the enzyme activities measured.

Some perspectives on the nutritional aspects of breast cancer research. Food-derived heterocyclic amines as etiologic agents in human mammary cancer

Epidemiologic and experimental evidence indicates that dietary factors influence the incidence of mammary gland cancer. The dietary causes of this cancer, however, remain largely unknown. This paper reviews the experimental studies implicating the food-derived heterocyclic amines (HAs) in human breast cancer. Heterocyclic amines are formed at the parts-per-billion levels in meats, such as beef, chicken, pork, and fish, cooked by ordinary methods. 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is among the most prevalent of the HAs in fried and barbecued beef, a staple of the American diet. Chronic administration of PhIP in the diet has been shown to cause mammary gland cancer in rats. Two other food-derived HAs, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, also have been shown to be mammary carcinogens in rodent models. In rats, heterocyclic amines produce DNA adducts in the mammary gland after metabolic activation. Studies examining human urine for HAs and metabolites confirm that humans who consume cooked meats are exposed to HAs. Studies also reveal that humans can activate HAs metabolically. Therefore, the experimental evidence suggests that the food-derived HAs may be etiologic agents in human breast cancer. Humans, however, are exposed to a complex mixture of carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic agents through their diets. Experimental studies examining the interaction between HAs and other dietary factors with respect to mammary carcinogenesis are warranted.

DNA adduct formation of hepatocarcinogenic aromatic amines in rat liver: effect of cytochrome P450 inducers

F344 rats were treated with an i.p. injection of 2-amino-6- methyldipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu P-1) or 3-methoxy-4-aminoazobenzene (3-MeO-AAB) and examined for the formation of the DNA adduct in the liver. To examine the effect of pretreatment with a cytochrome P450 (CYP) inducer on the formation of DNA adduct, these rats were pretreated with 3-methylcholanthrene (MC; CYP1A1/1A2 inducer) or phenobarbital (PB; CYP2B inducer). Administration of Glu P-1 and 3-MeO-AAB gave 2 and 5 adducts, respectively, as determined by 32P-postlabeling assay. By Glu P-1 administration, pretreatment of rats with MC, but not with PB, increased the total amount of DNA adducts including 3 new adducts as minor products. In contrast, pretreatment of rats with PB increased the total amount of DNA adducts derived by 3-MeO-AAB. The increase of aromatic amine DNA adducts by pretreatment with a CYP inducer was proportional to the activity of induced CYP isozyme(s) responsible for the mutagenic activation of each aromatic amine.