Identification of three major DNA adducts formed by the carcinogenic air pollutant 3-nitrobenzanthrone in rat lung at the C8 and N2 position of guanine and at the N6 position of adenine

The 32P-postlabeling assay for DNA adducts

32P-postlabeling analysis is an ultrasensitive method for the detection and quantitation of carcinogen-DNA adducts. It consists of four principal steps: (i) enzymatic digestion of DNA to nucleoside 3'-monophosphates; (ii) enrichment of the adduct fraction of the DNA digest; (iii) 5'-labeling of the adducts by transfer of 32P-orthophosphate from [gamma-32P]ATP mediated by polynucleotide kinase (PNK); (iv) chromatographic or electrophoretic separation of the labeled adducts or modified nucleotides and quantitation by measurement of their radioactive decay. The assay requires only microgram quantities of DNA and is capable of detecting adducts at frequencies as low as 1 in 10(10) nt, making it applicable to the detection of events resulting from environmental exposures, or experiments using physiological concentrations of agents. It has a wide range of applications in human, animal and in vitro studies, and can be used for a wide variety of classes of compound and for the detection of adducts formed by complex mixtures. This protocol can be completed in 3 d.

Mutagenicity and DNA adduct formation of PAH, nitro-PAH, and oxy-PAH fractions of atmospheric particulate matter from São Paulo, Brazil

Urban particulate matter (UPM) contributes to lung cancer incidence. Here, we have studied the mutagenic activity and DNA adduct-forming ability of fractionated UPM extractable organic matter (EOM). UPM was collected with a high-volume sampler in June 2004 at two sites, one at street level adjacent to a roadway and the other inside a park within the urban area of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. UPM was extracted using dichloromethane, and the resulting EOM was separated by HPLC to obtain PAH, nitro-PAH, and oxy-PAH fractions which were tested for mutagenicity with the Salmonella strains TA98 and YG1041 with and without S9 metabolic activation. The PAH fraction from both sites showed negligible mutagenic activity in both strains. The highest mutagenic activity was found for the nitro-PAH fraction using YG1041 without metabolic activation; however, results were comparable for both sites. The nitro-PAH and oxy-PAH fractions were incubated with calf thymus DNA under reductive conditions appropriate for the activation of nitro aromatic compounds, then DNA adduct patterns and levels were determined with thin-layer chromatography (TLC) 32P-postlabeling method using two enrichment procedures-nuclease P1 digestion and butanol extraction. Reductively activated fractions from both sites produced diagonal radioactive zones (DRZ) of putative aromatic DNA adducts on thin layer plates with both enrichment procedures. No such DRZ were observed in control experiments using fractions from unexposed filters or from incubations without activating system. Total adduct levels produced by the nitro-PAH fractions were similar for both sites ranging from 30 to 45 adducts per 10(8) normal nucleotides. In contrast, the DNA binding of reductively activated oxy-PAH fractions was three times higher and the adduct pattern consisted of multiple discrete spots along the diagonal line on the thin layer plates. However, DNA adduct levels were not significantly different between the sampling sites. Both samples presented the same levels of mutagenic activity. The response in the Salmonella assay was typical of nitroaromatics. Although, more mutagenic activity was related to the nitro-PAH fraction in the Salmonella assay, the oxy-PAH fractions showed the highest DNA adduct levels. More studies are needed to elucidate the nature of the genotoxicants occurring in São Paulo atmospheric samples.

Synthesis of oligonucleotides containing the N2-deoxyguanosine adduct of the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline

2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is a highly mutagenic heterocyclic amine formed in all cooked meats. IQ has been found to be a potent inducer of frameshift mutations in bacteria and carcinogenic in laboratory animals. Upon metabolic activation, IQ forms covalent adducts at the C8- and N2-positions of deoxyguanosine with a relative ratio of up to approximately 4:1. We have previously incorporated the major dGuo-C8-IQ adduct into oligonucleotides through the corresponding phosphoramidite reagent. We report here the sequence-specific synthesis of oligonucleotides containing the minor dGuo-N2-IQ adduct. Thermal melting analysis revealed that the dGuo-N2-IQ adduct significantly destabilizes duplex DNA.

DNA adduct formation in human hepatoma cells treated with 3-nitrobenzanthrone: analysis by the (32)P-postlabeling method

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-nitro-7H-benz[d,e]anthracen-7-one, 3-NBA) is a powerful mutagen and a suspected human carcinogen existing in diesel exhaust and airborne particulates. Recently, one of the major presumed metabolites of 3-NBA, 3-aminobenzanthrone (3-ABA), was detected in human urine samples. Here we analyzed DNA adducts formed in 3-NBA-exposed human hepatoma HepG2 cells by a (32)P-postlabeling/thin layer chromatography (TLC) method and a (32)P-postlabeling/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) method. With HepG2 cells exposed to 3-NBA (0.36-36.4 microM) for 3h, we obtained three spots or bands corresponding to adducted nucleotides. Two were assigned as 2-(2'-deoxyadenosin-N(6)-yl)-3-aminobenzanthrone-3'-phosphate (dA3'p-N(6)-C2-ABA) and 2-(2'-deoxyguanosin-N(2)-yl)-3-aminobenzanthrone-3'-phosphate (dG3'p-N(2)-C2-ABA), with identical mobilities to those of synthetic standards on PAGE analysis. The chemical structure of the substance corresponding to the other spot or band could not be identified. Quantitative analyses revealed that the major adduct was dA3'p-N(6)-C2-ABA and its relative adduct labeling (RAL) value at 36.4 microM of 3-NBA was 200.8+/-86.1/10(8)nucleotide.

The Anticancer Drug Ellipticine is an Inducer of Rat NAD(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase

The antineoplastic agent ellipticine was investigated for its ability to induce the biotransformation enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase, EC 1.6.99.2) in male Wistar rats. Using the real-time polymerase chain reaction, the levels of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase mRNA were determined in livers, kidneys and lungs of rats treated intraperitoneally with ellipticine (40 mg/kg body weight) and of control (untreated) rats. Cytosolic fractions were isolated from the same tissues of control and ellipticine-treated rats and tested for NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase protein expression and its enzymatic activity. The results demonstrate that ellipticine is a potent inducer of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase in rat livers and kidneys, while no induction of this enzyme was detectable in rat lungs. The increase in levels of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase mRNA correlates with the increase in expression of its protein and enzymatic activity, measured with menadione and 3-nitrobenzanthrone as substrates. The results, the identification of the potential of ellipticine to induce NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, suggest that this drug is capable of modulating biological efficiencies of the toxicants and/or drugs that are reductively metabolized by this enzyme.

Formation and persistence of DNA adducts formed by the carcinogenic air pollutant 3-nitrobenzanthrone in target and non-target organs after intratracheal instillation in rats

Sprague-Dawley rats were treated by intratracheal instillation with a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg body wt of 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA), and whole blood, lungs, pancreases, kidneys, urinary bladders, hearts, small intestines and livers were removed at various times after administration. At five posttreatment times (2 days, 2, 10, 20 and 36 weeks), DNA adducts were analysed in each tissue by (32)P-postlabelling to study their long-term persistence. 3-NBA-derived DNA adducts consisting of the same adduct pattern were observed in all tissues from animals killed between 2 days and 36 weeks and between 2 days and 20 weeks in blood. DNA isolated from whole blood contained the same 3-NBA-specific adduct pattern as that found in tissues. Although total adduct levels in the blood were much lower than those found in the lung, the target organ of 3-NBA tumourigenicity, they were related (20-25%, R(2) = 0.98) to the levels found in lung. In all organs, total adduct levels decreased over time to 20-30% of the initial levels till the latest time point (36 weeks) and showed a biphasic profile, with a rapid loss during the first 2 weeks followed by a much slower decline that reached a stable plateau at 20 weeks after treatment. These results show that uptake of 3-NBA by the lung induces high levels of specific DNA adducts in target and non-target organs of the rat. The correlation between DNA adducts in lung and blood suggests that persistent 3-NBA-DNA adducts in the blood may be useful biomarkers for human respiratory exposure to 3-NBA.

DNA damage and acute toxicity caused by the urban air pollutant 3-nitrobenzanthrone in rats: characterization of DNA adducts in eight different tissues and organs with synthesized standards

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) is an urban air pollutant and rat lung carcinogen that is among the most potent mutagens yet tested in the Salmonella reversion assay. In the present study, 1 mg 3-NBA was administered orally to female F344 rats and DNA adduct formation was examined in liver, lung, kidney and five sections of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract at 6 hr, and 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 days after administration. The DNA adduct patterns, analyzed by (32)P-postlabelling followed by HPLC separation, were similar in all tissues and organs. Five of the adduct peaks cochromatographed with synthesized DNA adduct standards. Three of these unequivocally determined standards, dGp-C8-N-ABA, dGp-N2-C2-ABA, and dAp-N6-C2-ABA, were of the nonacetylated type, suggesting that at least part of the pathway for activation of 3-NBA proceeds through O-acetylation of the hydroxylamine intermediate. The two other DNA adduct standards, dGp-C8-C2-N-Ac-ABA, and dGp-N2-C2-N-Ac-ABA, were of the acetylated type, but there was some ambiguity in the characterization of these DNA adducts, since they varied inconsistently between samples and they also aligned with peaks found in controls. At 6 hr after treatment, the level of DNA adducts was highest in glandular stomach (relative adduct labeling (RAL), approximately 70 adducts/10(8) normal nucleotides (NN)); adduct levels in this organ decreased at 24 hr, but increased afterwards. DNA adduct levels in the majority of organs were characterized by an early increase (from 6 hr to 3 days), which was followed by a decrease at 5 days and a maximum level 10 days after administration (RAL approximately 120 adducts/10(8) NN for the lung, kidney and glandular stomach, approximately 80 adducts/10(8) NN for the forestomach and ceacum, and approximately 40 adducts/10(8) NN for the liver, small intestine, and colon). This pattern was consistent with pathological observations during autopsy showing high levels of tissue damage in the GI tract; the tissue damage included hemorrhages, loss of villous surface structure in the small intestine, as well as intestine fragility and oedema of the adipose tissue around the GI-tract. Tissue damage decreased and DNA adduct levels increased at 10 days after administration. These observations suggest that 3-NBA not only exerts acute toxic effects, but that the bioavailability is affected by storage in tissues and later becomes available, resulting in the increased DNA adduct levels at the later time points of collection.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANT AND CARCINOGEN 3-NITROBENZANTHRONE AND ITS HUMAN METABOLITE 3-AMINOBENZANTHRONE ARE POTENT INDUCERS OF RAT HEPATIC CYTOCHROMES P450 1A1 AND -1A2 AND NAD(P)H:QUINONE OXIDOREDUCTASE

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA), a suspected human carcinogen occurring in diesel exhaust and air pollution, and its human metabolite 3-aminobenzanthrone (3-ABA) were investigated for their ability to induce biotransformation enzymes in rat liver and the influence of such induction on DNA adduct formation by the compounds. Rats were treated (i.p.) with 0.4, 4, or 40 mg/kg body weight 3-NBA or 3-ABA. When hepatic cytosolic fractions from rats treated with 40 mg/kg body weight 3-NBA or 3-ABA were incubated with 3-NBA, DNA adduct formation, measured by 32P-postlabeling analysis, was 10-fold higher in incubations with cytosols from pretreated rats than with controls. The increase in 3-NBA-derived DNA adduct formation corresponded to a dose-dependent increase in protein levels and enzymatic activity of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). NQO1 is the major enzyme reducing 3-NBA in human and rat livers. Incubations of 3-ABA with hepatic microsomes of rats treated with 3-NBA or 3-ABA (40 mg/kg body weight) led to as much as a 12-fold increase in 3-ABA-derived DNA adduct formation compared with controls. The observed stimulation of DNA adduct formation by both compounds was attributed to their potential to induce protein expression and enzymatic activity of cytochromes P450 1A1 and/or -1A2 (CYP1A1/2), the major enzymes responsible for 3-ABA activation in human and rat livers. Collectively, these results demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that by inducing hepatic NQO1 and CYP1A1/2, both 3-NBA and 3-ABA increase the enzymatic activation of these two compounds to reactive DNA adduct-forming species, thereby enhancing their own genotoxic potential.

3-Nitrobenzanthrone, a potential human cancer hazard in diesel exhaust and urban air pollution: a review of the evidence

Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to diesel exhaust and urban air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. 3-Nitrobenzanthrone [3-nitro-7H-benz[de]anthracen-7-one (3-NBA)] is an extremely potent mutagen and suspected human carcinogen identified in diesel exhaust and ambient air particulate matter. The main metabolite of 3-NBA, 3-aminobenzanthrone (3-ABA), was found in the urine of salt mine workers occupationally exposed to diesel emissions, indicating that human exposure to 3-NBA due to diesel emissions can be significant and is detectable. There is clear evidence that 3-NBA is a genotoxic mutagen forming DNA adducts after metabolic activation through simple reduction of the nitro group. Several human enzymes have been shown to activate 3-NBA and its metabolites in vitro and in cells to form electrophilic arylnitrenium and rearranged carbenium ions, leading to the formation of purine adducts at the C8 and N2 position of guanine and at the C8 and N6 position of adenine. The predominant DNA adducts in vivo, 2-(2'-deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-3-aminobenzanthrone and N-(2'-deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3-aminobenzanthrone are also the most persistent adducts in target tissue in rodents, and are most probably responsible for the induction of GC-->TA transversion mutations observed in vivo. It is concluded that these adducts not only represent premutagenic lesions in DNA but are of primary importance for the initiation of the carcinogenic process and subsequent tumour formation in target tissue. Indeed, 3-NBA is carcinogenic in rats after intratracheal instillation, inducing mainly squamous cell carcinoma in lung. The intention of this article is to provide a critical review on the potential genotoxic effects of 3-NBA on human health. However, in general, there is a need for more mechanistic studies that relate 3-NBA to all processes that are considered to orchestrate tumour development and of studies on the ability of particles to promote 3-NBA genotoxicity. Because of its widespread environmental presence, 3-NBA may represent not only an occupational health hazard but also a hazard for larger sections of the general population. For an accurate risk assessment more epidemiological studies on 3-NBA-exposed individuals and a broader monitoring of environmental levels of 3-NBA are required.