Differences in detection of DNA adducts in the 32P-postlabelling assay after either 1-butanol extraction or nuclease P1 treatment

DNA-damaging activities of twenty-four structurally diverse unsubstituted and substituted cyclic compounds in embryo-fetal chicken livers

DNA-damaging activities of twenty-four structurally diverse unsubstituted and substituted cyclic compounds were assessed in embryo-fetal chicken livers. Formation of DNA adducts and strand breaks were measured using the nucleotide ³²P-postlabelling (NPL) and comet assays, respectively. Unsubstituted monocyclic benzene, polycyclic fused ring compound naphthalene, covalently connected polycyclic ring compound biphenyl, and heterocyclic ring compound fluorene did not produce DNA damage. Amino-substituted monocyclic compounds, aniline and p-phenylenediamine, as well as polycyclic 1-naphthylamine were also negative. In contrast, carcinogenic monocyclic methyl-substituted anilines: o-toluidine, 2,6-xylidine, 3,4-dimethylaniline, 4-chloro-o-toluidine; 2 methoxy-substituted methylaniline: p-cresidine; 2,4 and 2,6 diamino- or dinitro- substituted toluenes all produced DNA damage. Genotoxic polycyclic amino-substituted 2-naphthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl, benzidine, methyl-substituted 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl and 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene as well as amino- and nitro- fluorenes substituted at the 1 or 2 positions also were positive in at least one of the assays. Overall, the DNA damaging activity of cyclic compounds in embryo-fetal chicken livers reflected the type and position of the substitution on the aromatic ring. Additionally, substituted polycyclic compounds exhibited higher DNA-damaging potency compared to monocyclic chemicals. These results are congruent with in vivo findings in other species, establishing chicken eggs as a reliable system for structure-activity assessment of members of groups of related chemicals.

Use of precision cut human liver slices for studying the metabolism and genotoxic potential of xenobiotics by means of the (32)P-postlabelling technique: steps towards method validation using testosterone and 2-aminofluorene

In the present study, a new in vitro model combining the short-term incubation of precision-cut human liver slices with DNA-adduct analysis by the (32)P-postlabelling technique is proposed for investigation of the genotoxic potential of xenobiotics. For method validation, the metabolic turnover of testosterone (TES) and the DNA-adduct inducing potential of 2-aminofluorene (2-AF) were used. Precision-cut human liver slices were prepared from a total of 12 human liver samples which were freshly obtained as parts of resectates from liver surgery. The slices were incubated as submersion cultures with TES and 2-AF for up to 6 h in 12-well tissue culture plates at concentrations of 10-50 and 0.06-28 μM, respectively. Slices recovered from the slicing procedure in the 4 °C cold Krebs-Henseleit buffer as indicated by intracellular potassium concentrations which increased for 2 h and then remained stable until the end of the incubation. TES was extensively metabolized by human liver slices with a similar metabolite pattern as observed in vivo. Almost 90% of the metabolites were conjugates. Major phase-I metabolites were androstendione, 6β-OH-androstendione, 6β-OH-TES, and 15β-OHTES. After incubation with 2-AF, substance related DNA-adducts were detected which increased dose-dependently from 12 to 1146 adducts per 10(9) nucleotides. The adduct pattern consisted of one major adduct spot, A, representing 80-90% of the total adduct level and up to four minor adduct spots, B-E. In summary, the present data demonstrate that precision-cut liver slices are a valuable alternative in vitro system for DNA-adduct determination to screen chemicals for potential genotoxicity in humans.

On the origins and development of the (32)P-postlabelling assay for carcinogen-DNA adducts

The (32)P-postlabelling method for the analysis of carcinogen-DNA adducts originated 30years ago from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and was the work of a team comprised of Kurt and Erica Randerath, Ramesh Gupta and Vijay Reddy. With subsequent modifications and developments, it has become a highly sensitive and versatile method for the detection of DNA adducts that has been applied in a wide range of human, animal and in vitro studies. These include monitoring human exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens, investigating genotoxicity of chemicals, elucidating pathways of metabolic activation of carcinogens, mechanistic studies of DNA repair, analysing the genotoxicity of complex mixtures and in ecotoxicology studies. Its use has been instrumental in providing new clues to the aetiology of some cancers and in identifying a new human carcinogen.

The analysis of DNA adducts: the transition from (32)P-postlabeling to mass spectrometry

The technique of (32)P-postlabeling, which was introduced in 1982 for the analysis of DNA adducts, has long been the method of choice for in vivo studies because of its high sensitivity as it requires only <10μg DNA to achieve the detection of 1 adduct in 10(10) normal bases. (32)P-postlabeling has therefore been utilized in numerous human and animal studies of DNA adduct formation. Like all techniques (32)P-postlabeling does have several disadvantages including the use of radioactive phosphorus, lack of internal standards, and perhaps most significantly does not provide any structural information for positive identification of unknown adducts, a shortcoming that could significantly hamper progress in the field. Structural methods have since been developed to allow for positive identification of DNA adducts, but to this day, the same level of sensitivity and low sample requirements provided by (32)P-postlabeling have not been matched. In this mini review we will discuss the (32)P-postlabeling method and chronicle the transition to mass spectrometry via the hyphenation of gas chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and ultimately liquid chromatography which, some 30years later, is only just starting to approach the sensitivity and low sample requirements of (32)P-postlabeling. This paper focuses on the detection of bulky carcinogen-DNA adducts, with no mention of oxidative damage or small alkylating agents. This is because the (32)P-postlabeling assay is most compatible with bulky DNA adducts. This will also allow a more comprehensive focus on a subject that has been our particular interest since 1990.

³²P-postlabelling for the sensitive detection of DNA adducts

32P-postlabelling is a technique originally described by Kurt Randerath and colleagues for the sensitive detection of damage produced in DNA by reactive chemicals or genotoxins. The procedure essentially entails the enzymatic digestion of DNA to nucleoside 3'-monophosphates which are then radioactively labelled using T4 polynucleotide kinase and [γ(32)P]-adenosine triphosphate. Adducted nucleoside-3'-5'-bisphosphates are then separated from their normal counterparts by thin layer chromatography. Prior to the development of the assay, quantification of DNA adducts was confined to studies that utilised compounds synthesised to be isotopically labelled with tritium or carbon-14. As such, these studies were limited to specific and recognised genotoxins that could be administered only in the laboratory to cultures or animals. With (32)P-postlabelling it was possible not only to determine DNA adduct induction by a relatively uncharacterised suspected carcinogen, but also following exposure to complex mixtures containing a multitude of known and unknown potential genotoxins. The small amount of DNA required to perform the (32)P-postlabelling assay also meant that human biomonitoring studies using readily obtainable tissues, such as lymphocytes, were possible. Using the standard (32)P-postlabelling method, it is possible to detect a single DNA adduct in 10(7) to 10(8) normal nucleotides. The subsequent development of several enhancement methods improved this detection rate to one adduct in 10(10) nucleotides. For these reasons, the (32)-postlabelling assay represents an extremely versatile and extremely sensitive method to detect and monitor DNA damage.

The 3,4-oxide is responsible for the DNA binding of benzo[ghi]perylene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon without a "classic" bay-region

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) benzo[ghi]perylene (BghiP) lacks a "classic" bay-region and is therefore unable to form vicinal dihydrodiol epoxides thought to be responsible for the genotoxicity of carcinogenic PAHs like benzo[a]pyrene. The bacterial mutagenicity of BghiP increases considerably after inhibition of the microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) indicating arene oxides as genotoxic metabolites. Two K-region epoxides of BghiP, 3,4-epoxy-3,4-dihydro-BghiP (3,4-oxide) and 3,4,11,12-bisepoxy-3,4,11,12-tetrahydro-BghiP (3,4,11,12-bisoxide) identified in microsomal incubations of BghiP are weak bacterial mutagens in strain TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium with 5.5 and 1.5 his+-revertant colonies/nmol, respectively. After microsomal activation of BghiP in the presence of calf thymus DNA three DNA adducts were detected using 32P-postlabeling. The total DNA binding of 2.1 fmol/microg DNA, representing 7 adducts in 10(7) nucleotides, was raised 3.6-fold when mEH was inhibited indicating arene oxides as DNA binding metabolites. Co-chromatography revealed the identity between the main adduct of metabolically activated BghiP and the main adduct of the 3,4-oxide. DNA adducts of BghiP originating from the 3,4,11,12-bisoxide were not found. Therefore, a K-region epoxide is proposed to be responsible for the genotoxicity of BghiP and possibly of other PAHs without a "classic" bay-region.

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.

Detection and Quantitation of Benzo[a]pyrene-Derived DNA Adducts in Mouse Liver by Liquid Chromatography−Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Comparison with 32P-Postlabeling

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a proven animal carcinogen that is potentially carcinogenic to humans. B[a]P is an ubiquitous environmental pollutant and is also present in tobacco smoke, coal tar, automobile exhaust emissions, and charred food. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using electrospray ionization and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) has been developed for the detection of 10-(deoxyguanosin-N(2)-yl)-7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (B[a]PDE-N(2)dG) adducts formed in DNA following the metabolic activation of B[a]P to benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (B[a]PDE). The method involves enzymatic digestion of the DNA sample to 2'-deoxynucleosides following the addition of a stable isotope internal standard, [(15)N(5)]B[a]PDE-N(2)dG, and then solid phase extraction to remove unmodified 2'-deoxynucleosides prior to analysis by LC-MS/MS SRM. The limit of detection of the method was 10 fmol (approximately 3 B[a]PDE-N(2)dG adducts per 10(8) 2'-deoxynucleosides) using 100 microg of calf thymus DNA as the matrix. Calf thymus DNA reacted with B[a]PDE in vitro and mouse liver DNA samples at different time points following dosing intraperitoneally with 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg B[a]P was analyzed. Three stereoisomers of the B[a]PDE-N(2)dG adduct were detected following the reaction of calf thymus DNA with B[a]PDE in vitro. The levels of B[a]PDE-N(2)dG DNA adducts in the mice livers were found to increase in a dose-dependent manner with adducts reaching maximal levels at 1-3 days and then gradually decreasing over time but still detectable after 28 days. A very good correlation (r = 0.962, p < 0.001) was observed between the results obtained for the mouse liver DNA samples using LC-MS/MS SRM as compared to those obtained using a (32)P-postlabeling method. However, the levels of adducts observed following (32)P-postlabeling using butanol enrichment were approximately 3.7-fold lower. The LC-MS/MS method allowed the more precise quantitation of DNA adduct levels that were structurally characterized, in addition to a reduction in the time taken to perform the analysis when compared with the (32)P-postlabeling method.

Specific plant DNA adducts as molecular biomarkers of genotoxic atmospheric environments

The general purpose of this study was to determine whether the formation of DNA addition products ('adducts') in plants could be a valuable biomarker of genotoxic air pollution. Plants from several species were exposed to ambient atmosphere at urban and suburban sites representative of different environmental conditions. The levels of NO2 and of the quantitatively major genotoxic air pollutants benzene, toluene, and xylene were monitored in parallel with plant exposure. DNA adducts were measured in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), rye-grass (Lolium perenne), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) seedlings by means of the [32P]-postlabeling method. Whereas, no correlation was found between the levels of the major genotoxic air pollutants and the total amounts of DNA adducts, individual analyses revealed site-specific and plant species-specific adduct responses, both at the qualitative and quantitative level. Among these, the amount of a specific rye-grass DNA adduct (rgs1) correlated with benzene/toluene/xylene levels above a threshold. For further characterization, rye-grass seedlings were treated in controlled conditions with benzene, toluene, xylene or their derivatives. On the other hand, in vitro DNA adduct formation assays were developed involving benzene, toluene, xylene, or their derivatives, and plant microsomes or purified peroxidase. Although in some cases, these approaches produced specific adduct responses, they failed to generate the rgs1 DNA adduct, which appeared to be characteristic for on-site test-plant exposure. Our studies have thus identified an interesting candidate for further analysis of environmental biomarkers of genotoxicity.

Smoking-related DNA adducts in anal epithelium

Several studies have identified tobacco smoking as a risk factor for anal cancer in both women and men. Samples of anal epithelium from haemorrhoidectomy specimens from current smokers (n = 20) and age-matched life-long non-smokers (n = 16) were analysed for DNA adducts by the nuclease P(1) digestion enhancement procedure of 32P-postlabelling analysis. The study included 14 men and 22 women. Both qualitative and quantitative differences in the adduct profiles were observed between the smokers and non-smokers. The mean adduct level was significantly higher in the smokers than in the non-smokers (1.88 +/- 0.71) (S.D.) versus 1.36 +/- 0.60 adducts per 10(8) nucleotides, P = 0.02, two-tailed unpaired t-test with Welch's correction); furthermore, the adduct pattern seen in two-dimensional chromatograms revealed the smoking-related diagonal radioactive zone in 17/20 smokers, but not in any of the non-smokers (P < 0.00001, Fisher's exact test). These results indicate that components of tobacco smoke inflict genotoxic damage in the anal epithelium of smokers and provide a plausible mechanism for a causal association between smoking and anal cancer.

Detection of DNA adducts in developing CD4+ CD8+ thymocytes and splenocytes following in utero exposure to benzo[a]pyrene

Environmental carcinogen exposure may play an important role in the incidence of cancer in children. In addition to environmental pollutants, maternal smoking during pregnancy may be a contributing factor. Major carcinogenic components of cigarette smoke and other combustion by-products in the environment include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Mouse offspring exposed during midpregnancy to the PAH, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), show significant deficiencies in their immune functions, observed in late gestation which persist for at least 18 months. Tumor incidences in these progeny are 8 to 10-fold higher than in controls. We have demonstrated a significant reduction in thymocytes (CD4+ CD8+, CD4+ CD8+ Vbeta8+, CD4+ CD8+ Vgamma2+) from newborn and splenocytes (CD4+ CD8+) from 1-week-old mouse progeny exposed to B[a]P in utero. To investigate possible causes of the observed T cell reduction, we analyzed the thymocytes and splenocytes from progeny and maternal tissues for the presence of B[a]P-DNA adducts. Adducts were detected in maternal, placental and offspring lymphoid tissues at day 19 of gestation, at birth and 1-wk after birth. The presence of B[a]P-DNA adducts in immature T cells may, in part, explain the previously observed T cell immunosuppression and tumor susceptibility in mice exposed to B[a]P in utero. The effects of DNA lesions on progeny T cells may include interference with normal T-cell development. These results provide a possible explanation for the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood carcinogenesis.

Methods for testing compounds for DNA adduct formation

This article, based on a presentation on DNA adduct detection given at a Genetic Toxicology Association workshop, is an overview of methods used for testing compounds for DNA adduct formation. A DNA adduct study may be initiated on a case by case basis when there are conflicting results within the standard battery of genetic toxicology tests or when tumors are detected in the animal bioassay for nongenotoxic compounds. Methods for adduct detection include the 32P-postlabeling assay, the use of radioactive test chemicals, physicochemical methods, and immunoassays. Of these, the 32P-postlabeling assay and the use of radiochemicals are discussed in greater detail, since only these two methods are readily applicable to test a compound for the formation of uncharacterized DNA adducts. The other methods are applicable to those adducts that have been chemically characterized or that contain a fluorophore or electrochemically active groups. Evaluation of mutagenic and carcinogenic risk from DNA adducts would require the understanding of various parameters, including the chemical nature, quantity and stability of adducts, proliferation rates for target cells to fix adducts into mutations, mutagenic and repair efficiencies of adducts, and the extent of modifications in critical genes. Since such data cannot be readily obtainable, the toxicological risk from uncharacterized adducts is difficult to assess.

Biomonitoring the human population exposed to pollution from the oil fires in Kuwait: analysis of placental tissue using (32)P-postlabeling

The placenta is a readily available source of material for molecular epidemiological investigations. As such, DNA damage in this tissue can be indicative of maternal exposure to environmental pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Previous reports have demonstrated that (32)P-postlabeling (PPL) is able to detect the presence of aromatic adducts in human placenta that are associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. Using PPL we have assayed the DNA damage in placental samples from Kuwaiti mothers who were exposed to environmental pollution during pregnancy. This pollution arose in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which left hundreds of oil wells burning. For comparison, further Kuwaiti samples were obtained approximately 1 year after the oil well fires and, as such, are from individuals unexposed to the airborne pollution from the oil well fires during pregnancy. In addition, placental samples were obtained from subjects in the United Kingdom. Adduct levels were measured in all samples using both the nuclease P1 and butanol extraction enhancement procedures. No elevation of adduct levels was observed in the placenta of mothers exposed to the oil well fires (n = 40) with either procedure (144 +/- 30 attomol/microg DNA for nuclease P1 enrichment, 245 +/- 50 attomol/microg DNA for butanol extraction), when compared with the nonexposed Kuwaiti mothers (180 +/- 32 and 281 +/- 39 attomol/microg DNA, respectively, n = 24). Similar adduct levels were observed in UK mothers who smoked cigarettes (178 +/- 30 and 284 +/- 52 attomol/microg DNA, n = 30), which in turn were approximately twice those observed in nonsmoking mothers (90 +/- 14 and 141 +/- 15 attomol/microg DNA, n = 12), although there is no significant difference in the distribution of adduct levels when statistical analysis is performed. Comprehensive interpretation of the Kuwaiti data is difficult as precise information on PAH levels is unavailable, although the data do seem to indicate that exposure to PAHs was not biologically significant.

Methods of DNA adduct determination and their application to testing compounds for genotoxicity

At the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Test Procedures (IWGTP) held in Washington, DC (March 25-26, 1999), a working group considered the uses of DNA adduct determination methods for testing compounds for genotoxicity. When a drug or chemical displays an unusual or inconsistent combination of positive and negative results in in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity assays and/or in carcinogenicity experiments, investigations into whether or not DNA adducts are formed may be helpful in assessing whether or not the test compound is a genotoxin. DNA adduct determinations can be carried out using radiolabeled compounds and measuring radioactive decay (scintillation counting) or isotope ratios (accelerator mass spectrometry) in the isolated DNA. With unlabeled compounds adducts may be measured by (32)P-postlabeling analysis of the DNA, or by physicochemical methods including mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, or electrochemical detection, or by immunochemical methods. Each of these approaches has different strengths and limitations, influenced by sensitivity, cost, time, and interpretation of results. The design of DNA binding studies needs to be on a case-by-case basis, depending on the compound's profile of activity. DNA purity becomes increasingly important the more sensitive, and less chemically specific, the assay. While there may be adduct levels at which there is no observable biological effect, there are at present insufficient data on which to set a threshold level for biological significance.

32P-Postlabeling of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)arylamine adducts: a comparative study of labeling efficiencies

32P-Postlabeling is an extremely powerful technique for the detection of DNA adducts. Typically, the quantitation of DNA adducts by (32)P-postlabeling is achieved by relative adduct labeling, via comparison of the radioactivity incorporated into the adducts to that associated with the normal nucleotides. This approach is based on a number of assumptions, the foremost being that normal and adducted nucleotide 3'-phosphates are converted to 3', 5'-bisphosphates with similar efficiencies. To evaluate labeling efficiencies for specific DNA adducts, we conducted a comparative study of the kinetics of phosphorylation by T(4) polynucleotide kinase using 2'-deoxyguanosine 3'-phosphate (dG3'p) and a series of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)arylamine 3'-phosphate adduct standards (dG3'p-C8-Ar, Ar being 4-aminobiphenyl, 3- and 4-methylaniline, and 2,4- and 3,4-dimethylaniline). Phosphorylation of dG3'p and the dG3'p-C8-Ar adducts followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The apparent turnover numbers were 40-240-fold lower when labeling dG3'p-C8-Ar adducts compared to that when labeling dG3'p. The apparent specificity constant calculated for dG3'p-C8-4-aminobiphenyl (1.4 microM(-)(1) min(-)(1)) was approximately 4-fold lower than that (5. 4 microM(-)(1) min(-)(1)) found for dG3'p. Apparent specificity constants for the monoarylamine adducts were even lower (0.043-0.23 microM(-)(1) min(-)(1)) and decreased in the following order: 4-methylaniline > 3,4-dimethylaniline > 3-methylaniline > 2, 4-dimethylaniline. Similar experiments conducted with dG3'p-C8-Ar standards for 2-methylaniline and 2,3-dimethylaniline produced very poor and irreproducible labeling. These results indicate that (32)P-postlabeling of dG3'p-C8-Ar adducts is less efficient than that of dG3'p and suggest that normal nucleotides will be labeled preferentially to the arylamine adducts under kinetically controlled conditions. The data also indicate a further decrease in labeling efficiency upon substitution ortho to the amino group (e.g., 2, 4-dimethylaniline). In addition, the ATP concentrations required for optimal labeling were found to be substantially higher than those used in typical (32)P-postlabeling assays. Since the high specific activity of carrier-free [gamma-(32)P]ATP precludes increasing the ATP concentration to a significant extent, these data emphasize the need for using highly efficient adduct enrichment procedures when conducting (32)P-postlabeling analyses of DNA adducts.

Formation and persistence of DNA adducts during and after a long-term administration of 2-nitrofluorene

2-Nitrofluorene (NF) is an environmental pollutant. Our previous studies have shown that NF is a carcinogen, primarily targeting the liver, kidney and forestomach in rats. NF-induced DNA adducts were also shown higher levels in the tumor-targeting tissues compared to non-tumor targeting organs. The present study was aimed to observe the kinetics of DNA adduct formation and persistence during the process of NF-induced tumor formation. NF was supplemented in diet at three dose levels and was fed to rats continuously for up to 11 months. DNA adduct formation in the liver, kidney, spleen and stomach of rats after different period (10 days and 11 months) of NF administration was analyzed with 32P-HPLC techniques. DNA adduct persistence in the liver was also assessed after the withdrawal of NF administration. Four major NF-DNA adducts (adducts A, B, C and D) were found in the liver and kidney. DNA adduct D showed high level in the forestomach mucosa after 10 days of NF feeding while adducts A and C were undetectable. DNA adduct C and D co-migrated with C3-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG-N2-AAF) and N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF), respectively, by 32P-HPLC co-chromatography. DNA adducts A and B constituted the major part (>80%) of NF-DNA adducts after a long period (11 months) of NF feeding. The four NF-DNA adducts showed different recovery from different enrichment procedures, i.e., nuclease P1 or butanol treatment. Three out of the four NF-DNA adducts were still detectable in the rat liver after 11 months on the basal diet. In conclusion, four major DNA adducts are induced by NF oral administration. Among those, one is identified as dG-N2-AAF and another one as dG-C8-AF. The four NF-DNA adducts showed different kinetics of formation and persistence, which may play different roles in NF-induced tumor formation.

Synthesis, characterization, and quantitation of a 4-aminobiphenyl-DNA adduct standard

32P-Postlabeling is a powerful technique for the detection of DNA adducts; however, quantitation of DNA adducts by this method can result in errors due to differences in hydrolysis and labeling efficiencies between adducted and normal nucleotides. We have synthesized a DNA sample modified with 4-aminobiphenyl to serve as a quantitation standard for 32P-postlabeling and other DNA adduct detection methodologies. [2,2'-3H]-N-Hydroxy-4-aminobiphenyl was reacted with calf thymus DNA at pH 5 to give 62 +/- 0.8 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (mean +/- SD) on the basis of 3H content. HPLC analyses following enzymatic hydrolysis to nucleosides indicated one major adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl (dG-C8-4-ABP). The adduct identity was confirmed by HPLC/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, which indicated a modification level of 19 +/- 1.7 dG-C8-4-ABP/10(8) nucleotides. 32P-Postlabeling analysis gave a value of 0.84 dG-C8-4-ABP/10(8) nucleotides, while a dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassay (DELFIA) indicated levels of 82 +/- 26 and 63 +/- 20 dG-C8-4-ABP/10(8) nucleotides after enzymatic hydrolysis to nucleotides and nucleosides, respectively. The utility of the DNA adduct standard was determined by assessing the level of dG-C8-4-ABP in liver DNA from mice treated with [2,2'-3H]-4-aminobiphenyl. 32P-Postlabeling analyses, based upon measuring the extent of the 32P incorporation, underestimated the levels of dG-C8-4-ABP, while DELFIA, using a G-C8-4-ABP quantitation standard, overestimated the adduct levels. The adduct levels determined by HPLC/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry best reflected those obtained from 3H incorporation. When the 32P-postlabeling analyses and the DELFIA were conducted using the DNA modified in vitro with dG-C8-4-ABP as a quantitation standard, accurate estimations of the extent of in vivo formation of dG-C8-4-ABP were obtained.

Genotoxicity of coke-oven and urban air particulate matter in in vitro acellular assays coupled with 32P-postlabeling and HPLC analysis of DNA adducts

This study is an in vitro part of the ongoing biomarker studies with population from a polluted region of Northern Bohemia and coke-oven workers from Czech and Slovak Republics. The aim of this study is to compare DNA adduct forming ability of chemical compound classes from both the urban and coke-oven extractable organic mass (EOM) of airborne particles. The crude extracts were fractionated into seven fractions by acid-base partitioning and silica gel column chromatography. In in vitro acellular assays we used calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) with oxidative (+S9) and reductive activation mediated by xanthine oxidase (+XO) under anaerobic conditions. Both the butanol and nuclease P1 versions of 32P-postlabeling for detection of bulky aromatic and/or hydrophobic adducts were used. The results showed that the spectra of major DNA adducts resulting from both the in vitro assays are within the fractions similar for both the urban and coke-oven samples. The highest DNA adduct levels with S9-activation were detected for the neutral aromatic fraction, followed by slightly polar and acidic fractions for both samples. With XO-mediated metabolism, the highest DNA adduct levels were detected for both the acidic fractions. Assuming additivity of compound activities, then the acidic fraction, which in the urban sample comprises a major portion of EOM mass (28%), may contain the greatest activity in both in vitro assays (39 and 69%, +S9 and +XO, respectively). In contrast, the aromatic fraction constituting only 8% of total urban EOM mass may account for comparable activity (34%) with organic acids. The highest DNA adduct forming activity of the coke-oven sample accounts for the aromatic fraction (82 and 63%, +S9 and +XO, respectively) that also contains the greatest portion of the total EOM (48%). To characterize some of the specific DNA adducts formed, we coupled TLC on 20x20 cm plates with HPLC analysis of 32P-postlabeled adducts. In both S9-treated samples of the aromatic fraction, we tentatively identified DNA adducts presumably diolepoxide-derived from: 9-hydroxy-benzo[a]pyrene (9-OH-B[a]P), benzo[a]pyrene-r-7,t-8-dihydrodiol-t-9,10-epoxide[+/-] (anti-BPDE), benzo[b,j,k]fluoranthenes (B[b]F, B[j]F, B[k]F), chrysene (CHRY), benz[a]-anthracene (B[a]A) and indeno[cd]pyrene (I[cd]P). These DNA adducts accounted for about 57% of total DNA adducts detected in both S9-treated samples of the aromatic fraction. DNA adducts of XO-treated samples were sensitive to nuclease P1 and HPLC profiles of the major adducts were markedly different from the major adducts of S9-treated samples. However, the combination of TLC and HPLC did not confirm the presence of DNA adducts derived from 1-nitropyrene (1 NP), 9-nitroanthracene (9 NA) and 3-nitrofluoranthene (3 NF) that were detected by GC-MS in the slightly polar fraction. We concluded that the chemical fractionation procedure facilitates the assessing of DNA adduct forming ability of different chemical compound classes. However, based on the results obtained with the whole extracts, it does not fulfil a task of the actual contribution of individual fractions within the activity of the whole extracts. Our results are the first in detecting of DNA adducts derived from urban air and coke-oven particulate matter.

Absence of DNA adduct formation by phenobarbital, polychlorinated biphenyls, and chlordane in mouse liver using the 32P-postlabeling assay

Phenobarbital (PB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlordane (CLD) increase liver tumor incidences in rodents, and all are tumor promoters. Most indirect tests for DNA reactivity, including mutagenicity and chromosomal damage, have been negative with these agents. Consequently, the modes of action for tumorigenesis by these compounds are not believed to involve direct DNA reactivity; however, only limited information from direct tests is available for the lack of DNA adduct formation. PB, PCBs, and CLD were tested for DNA adduct formation in the liver of male and female B6C3F1 mice after either single or 2-week dietary exposures. Single gavage dose levels were as follows: PB, 200 mg/kg; PCBs, 50 mg/kg; and CLD, 50 mg/kg. Dietary dose levels were as follows: PB, 1000 ppm; PCBs, 200 ppm and CLD, 200 ppm. Animals were killed 24 h following the end of test-substance administration. DNA was extracted from the liver, and DNA adduct concentrations were enriched using either 1-butanol extraction of adducted nucleotides or nuclease P1 digestion of unadducted nucleotides. Using this protocol, none of the three test compounds produced DNA adducts detected by 32P-postlabeling. Similar negative results were obtained for DNA from the livers of both male and female mice receiving either single or 2-week exposures. The two positive controls, benzidine for the 1-butanol extraction procedure and 2-acetylaminofluorene for the nuclease P1 procedure, showed the expected patterns of DNA adducts. These results support the conclusion that the carcinogenicity of PB, PCBs, and CLD in experimental animals is not the result of direct DNA reactivity, but involves epigenetic mechanisms.

Comparison of 32P-postlabeling and HPLC-FD analysis of DNA adducts in rats acutely exposed to benzo(a)pyrene

DNA adduct analysis is often used for biomonitoring individuals exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The 32P-postlabeling assay is routinely applied to study the formation of aromatic bulky adducts, but cannot positively identify individual adduct types. Recently, an HPLC assay with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) was developed which was sufficiently sensitive to detect adducts formed by benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) diolepoxide isomers [(+/-)anti- and (+/-)syn-BPDE] in occupationally exposed subjects (Rojas et al. Carcinogenesis, 16 (1995) 1373-1376). In this study, we compared both techniques using DNA samples of rats which were treated i.p. with B[a]P (10 mg/kg bw). The internal dose was assessed by measuring 3-OH-B[a]P excretion in urine. The detection limit of the HPLC-FD assay varied from 0.5 to 7.4 adducts per 10(8) nucleotides, while the detection limit of the 32P-postlabeling assay was around 1 adduct per 10(9) nucleotides. HPLC-FD analysis showed that BPDE-DNA adduct levels were highest in the heart, lung and liver respectively. The most predominant B[a]P-tetrol was the I-1 isomer, which derives from hydrolysis of the major reaction product of DNA and (+)-anti-BPDE. 32P-postlabeling analysis revealed an adduct spot that comigrated with a [3H]BPDE-DNA standard. The putative BPDE-DNA adduct levels were highest in heart followed by lung and liver and correlated significantly with tetrol I-1 levels determined by HPLC-FD (r = 0.72, P = 0.006). In samples in which both tetrol I-1 and II-2 were detected by means of HPLC-FD, this correlation was even better (r = 0.95, P = 0.01). Estimated half-lives of BPDE-DNA adducts were in the ranking order; heart, lung and liver for both techniques. By 32P-postlabeling, adducts other than BPDE-DNA were also found, resulting in highest total DNA adduct levels in the liver, heart and lung respectively. Furthermore, mean 24 h urinary excretion of 3-OH-B[a]P was related to BPDE-DNA adduct levels in lung, liver and heart. The 32P-postlabeling assay is sensitive and capable of detecting exposures to complex mixtures, whereas the HPLC-FD assay can be used to identify BPDE-isomers and might therefore be of value in risk assessment of individuals exposed to PAH.

Determination of genotoxicity of the metabolites of the pesticides Guthion, Sencor, Lorox, Reglone, Daconil and Admire by 32P-postlabeling

Commercial formulations of the pesticides: Guthion (azinphos methyl), Sencor (metribuzin), Lorox (linuron), Reglone (diquat), Daconil (chlorothalonil) and Admire (imidacloprid) were studied for their genotoxicity by 32P-postlabeling. Metabolites of the pesticides were obtained enzymatically using arochlor induced rat liver S9 fraction, in an NADPH generating system. The resulting metabolites were reacted with calf thymus DNA and the DNA was analyzed for presence of adducts by either the nuclease P1 or butanol enrichment. Nuclease P1 enrichment resulted in adducts for all the pesticides. Compared to the level of adducts in control DNA, the levels in pesticide-treated DNA were higher for all the pesticides, except Daconil. The increase in adduct numbers for pesticide-treated DNAs ranged from 4.9-12.4 times the control-DNA indicating pesticide genotoxicity in this in vitro system. Enrichment using butanol extraction gave three adducts unique to Sencor-DNA. These adducts were different from those obtained with nuclease P1 enrichment of the same. B(alpha)P was the positive control for the in vitro metabolism, and two adduct enrichment procedures: nuclease P1 digestion and butanol extraction.

Measurement of DNA adducts in humans after complex mixture exposure

In contrast to acute or chronic dosing experiments with a single chemical in animals, man is exposed to thousands of chemicals during a lifetime. Each of these may act alone, additively, synergistically or antagonistically in terms of biological effects, but most current risk assessment procedures fail to recognize such interactions. In carcinogenesis, a mutational process that is thought to occur through DNA damage by endogenous and/or exogenous agents, a wide variety of host factors is involved in disease outcome. These include absorption of chemicals, their distribution, metabolism and excretion. In addition, once metabolic activation has occurred, there is an array of protective mechanisms that cells have evolved to maintain DNA integrity, such as DNA repair, genetic redundancy and programmed cell death. One approach to risk assessment is to regard all DNA-damaging events as potentially leading to cancer and to measure DNA damage as the biologically relevant endpoint. The main method, if not the only method, presently available to assay a wide range of DNA adducts is 32P-postlabelling. This method has high sensitivity (limit of detection > 1 adduct per 10(10) nucleotides) and is capable of visualizing many different DNA adducts in a single analysis. Postlabelling is best suited for detecting hydrophobic adducts--low molecular weight adducts usually need a preliminary separation procedure prior to being postlabelled. This chromatographic procedure has been used to study DNA samples from human tissues of cigarette smokers, occupationally exposed groups and individuals living in polluted environments. Correlations have been found between the severity of exposure and the level of DNA adducts detected for human samples. However, most studies are single-time point studies, whereas for risk assessment purposes it may be better to use more quantitative and representative measures of long-term exposure, for example the number of adducts formed per annum. This article reviews methods of DNA adduct measurement, with particular reference to the 32P-postlabelling technique, which has been used to determine DNA adduct levels in populations exposed to complex mixtures.

Hepatic DNA adducts and production of mutagenic urine in 2,6-dinitrotoluene-treated B6C3F1 male mice

The hepatocarcinogen 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT) is an intermediate in the chemical synthesis of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and polyurethane products and can contaminate the waste stream emitted by these industries. In this study, the production of mutagenic urine metabolites and the formation of hepatic DNA adducts is examined in the B6C3F1 male mouse. Animals were administered 50 mg/kg 2,6-DNT by gavage for 3 consecutive days. No body or liver weight effects were observed in treated animals. Following sacrifice, the livers were excised and DNA isolated for examination of 2,6-DNT-derived DNA adducts. During 2,6-DNT treatment, urine was collected, concentrated, and tested for mutagenicity in the Salmonella reversion bioassay. Mutagenic urine metabolites (469+/-53 revertants/ml urine) were excreted from B6C3F1 mice treated with 2,6-DNT and were comparable to results obtained for CD-1 mice and Fischer 344 rats. Two distinct hepatic DNA adducts (0.8+/-0.1 and 0.6+/-0.1 RAL/10(8) nucleotides) were detected in B6C3F1 mice by (32)P-postlabeling and thin layer chromatography which differed from the four adducts observed in hepatic DNA from 2,6-DNT-treated Fischer 344 rats.

Genotoxicity in the rodent urinary bladder

Elucidation of the mechanisms by which a chemical may induce urinary bladder tumours in rodents can be expected to provide insight into the relative risk from that agent. The methodologies for exploring whether tumour induction may be a response to direct genotoxic effect of the compound have been successfully applied to the bladders of both mice and rats. Thus, with experimental approaches that utilize adduct detection through the use of immunochemical and postlabelling techniques, unscheduled DNA synthesis and mutagenicity as studied with transgenic animals it is possible to obtain fundamental information on the genotoxic potential of carcinogens in the target bladder. Application of these experimental approaches to carcinogens for which the mechanisms of action are not known should permit assessment of the likelihood that genotoxic or non-genotoxic mechanisms are involved in the tumour induction process. Moreover, such studies may provide knowledge of the molecular pathways that are involved in the action of genotoxic agents, thus enabling judgements to be made as to whether humans are subject to tumour induction by the chemical.

Enhanced levels of DNA adducts in the liver of woodchucks infected with hepatitis virus

Liver DNA specimens from woodchucks kept in captivity, 10 naturally infected with hepatitis virus (WHV) and five WHV-free, were examined for the presence of carcinogen-DNA adducts by 32P-postlabeling. The number of adducts was significantly higher in WHV carriers than in uninfected animals, and the total amounts of adducts per 10(9) nucleotides were also considerably enhanced by WHV infection, when using both butanol extraction (22.2 +/- 7.1 vs. 12.6 +/- 2.8, means +/- S.D.) and nuclease P1 enrichment (8.5 +/- 5.9 vs. 2.8 +/- 1.7). Two individual adducts were also significantly higher in WHV carriers. No significant variation occurred as related to age, sex or time length of captivity. These findings are consistent with our previous studies supporting an enhanced metabolism of chemical hepatocarcinogens in both human and woodchuck hepadnavirus infections. Several significant and remarkable correlations were pointed out by relating DNA adduct data to more than 30 virological, histopathological and metabolic parameters which had been previously evaluated in the same animals. For instance, numbers and/or levels of adducts were positively related to the amounts of virus present in hepatocytes, to cell damage (gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity), to the severity of the liver histopathological picture, and to monooxygenase activities, while they were inversely related to cellular glutathione concentrations and to detoxification of the direct-acting mutagen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. The major adduct significantly correlated with the metabolic activation of the aromatic amine 2-aminofluorene and of the heterocyclic amines 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido(4,3)indole (Trp-P-2) and 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f)quinoline (MeIQ), whereas another adduct significantly correlated with the metabolic activation of the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1. Thus, the enhanced metabolism of chemical hepatocarcinogens and the increased formation of carcinogen-DNA adducts in the liver of WHV carriers appear to represent one of the mechanisms contributing to the association between chronic hepadnavirus infection and development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Potentiation of 2,6-dinitrotoluene genotoxicity in Fischer 344 rats by pretreatment with coal tar creosote

Pretreatment of male Fischer 344 rats for 5 wk with coal tar creosote, a coal distillation product that is widely used as a wood preservative, potentiated the excretion of urinary mutagens in 2,6-dinitrotoluene (DNT) treated rats. Creosote increased the bioactivation of DNT to significantly greater levels of urinary genotoxic metabolites and/or formed DNA adducts in the liver. A significant increase in the excretion of mutagenic DNT metabolites was observed after the first week of creosote treatment, peaked at wk 3, and then decreased by 33% after 5 wk of treatment. Nevertheless, there was a significant increase (66%) in the formation of DNT-derived DNA adducts in the livers of rats treated with DNT plus creosote at wk 5. Increased cecal beta-glucuronidase activity and reduced small intestinal nitroreductase activity may play roles in the bioactivation of DNT. The excretion of mutagenic DNT metabolites supplies useful information about the bioactivation of DNT; it does not provide a useful index of DNT-derived hepatic DNA adduct formation. Such interactions could be important to predictive risk assessment because the overall cancer risk of such chemical mixtures may exceed the sum of the component risks.

Atrazine treatment potentiates excretion of mutagenic urine in 2,6-dinitrotoluene-treated Fischer 344 rats

Atrazine (ATZ), an s-triazine herbicide, is a widespread environmental contaminant. The hepatocarcinogenic component of technical grade dinitrotoluene, 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT, 19.5%), is a byproduct of trinitrotoluene synthesis and is found at production sites. This study explores the effect of ATZ treatment on the bioactivation of the promutagen, 2,6-DNT. Male Fischer 344 rats (5 weeks old) were administered 50 mg/kg of ATZ by gavage for 5 weeks. At 1, 3, and 5 weeks, both DMSO-control and ATZ-pretreated rats were treated p.o. with 75 mg/kg of 2,6-DNT and were housed in metabolism cages for urine collection. Sulfatase- and beta-glucuronidase-treated, concentrated urine was bioassayed for urinary mutagens in a microsuspension modification of the Salmonella assay with and without metabolic activation. No significant change in mutagen excretion was observed in ATZ-treated rats; however, an elevation in direct-acting urine mutagens from rats receiving ATZ and 2,6-DNT at weeks 1 (359 +/- 68 vs. 621 +/- 96 revertants/ml) and 5 (278 +/- 46 vs. 667 +/- 109 revertants/ml) of treatment was observed. The increase in production of urinary mutagens was accompanied by an elevation in small intestinal nitroreductase activity. Increases in large intestinal nitroreductase and beta-glucuronidase were observed after 5 weeks. There was no apparent effect of ATZ following 5 weeks of treatment on the production of 2,6-DNT-derived hepatic DNA adducts. ATZ treatment modifies intestinal enzymes responsible for promutagen bioactivation, and potentiates the excretion of mutagenic urine in 2,6-DNT-treated animals.

DNA adducts in cervical tissue of smokers and non-smokers

Cervical biopsy samples were taken from 40 women, aged between 31 and 72, undergoing hysterectomies. Twenty-two of the women were smokers, four were ex-smokers and 14 were non-smokers. DNA was isolated and analysed using 32P-postlabelling, after butanol extraction or nuclease P1 digestion enhancement of the adducts. Resolution of the adducts was by thin-layer chromatography on polyethyleneimine (PEI)-cellulose. The pattern of adducts seen was similar to smoking-related adducts detected in other tissues and consisted mainly of a diagonal zone of radioactivity. With the butanol extraction enrichment method, the levels of adducts in DNA from the 22 smokers ranged from 1.65 to 6.04 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (mean = 3.70, SD = 1.36), in DNA from non-smokers from 1.16 to 3.98 (mean = 2.04, SD = 0.77) and in samples from ex-smokers from 2.57 to 3.35 (mean = 2.86, SD = 0.37). The increase in adduct levels in smokers compared with non-smokers was highly significant (Mann-Whitney test p = 0.0005, two-tailed). When analysed by the nuclease P1 digestion enhancement method, total adduct levels in samples from smokers (mean = 2.95, SD = 1.77) were not significantly different (p = 0.3, two-tailed) from levels in non-smokers (mean = 2.34, SD = 0.96). However, the level of a minor discrete adduct spot was significantly lower (p = 0.02, two-tailed) in smokers (mean = 0.19, SD = 0.36) than in non-smokers (mean = 0.39, SD = 0.41). The results indicate that some of the DNA adducts detected in cervical epithelium correlate with tobacco smoking and support the hypothesis that smoking-related cervical cancer results from exposure to genotoxic components of cigarette smoke that become activated to DNA-binding products in this tissue.

Comparison of DNA adduct levels in human placenta from polychlorinated biphenyl exposed women and smokers in which CYP 1A1 levels are similarly elevated

Previous studies demonstrated that cigarette smoking is associated with high elevations in levels of both cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and DNA adducts in human placenta. To date, the identity of the smoking related DNA adducts is not known. The DNA adducts identified in placenta of smokers could result from chemicals present in cigarette smoke, substances formed by CYP 1A1 metabolic activation of endogenous compounds, noncigarette related exposures or a combination of these processes. Exposure to contaminated rice oil containing large doses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) also resulted in massive elevation of CYP 1A1 in human placenta but formation of DNA adducts directly from this exposure has not previously been reported. The purpose for comparing the two populations was to test the hypothesis that if CYP 1A1 induction results in the metabolic activation of endogenous compounds, then DNA adducts should also be present in PCB/PCDF exposed tissues exhibiting high CYP 1A1 activity and some of the adducts detected in the placental DNA from smokers may be identified as those derived from the metabolic activation of endogenous compounds. To test this hypothesis, we measured DNA adducts using 32P-postlabeling to analyze placental DNA from women exposed to PCB/PCDF and from cigarette smokers where levels of CYP 1A1 were similarly elevated. There was no evidence of DNA adducts among specimens obtained from PCB/PCDF exposed individuals. These data suggest that CYP 1A1 induction alone (in the absence of cigarette smoking) does not induce the formation of DNA adducts detectable by this approach, and that smoking related adducts are not a consequence of CYP 1A1 induction mediated activation of endogenous compounds or xenobiotics other than cigarette smoke.

Application of HPLC in the 32P-postlabeling assay

The postlabeling procedure for the detection of DNA modifications entails enzyme-catalyzed incorporation of 32P into nucleotides and chromatographic separation of radiolabeled products for quantification. Alternate versions of this procedure have been developed which vary in sensitivity and in applicability for the detection of different DNA adducts. Methods that utilize HPLC in either of two steps in the procedure (i.e., the separation of modified and unmodified nucleotides before the labeling reaction or the resolution of 32P-labeled adducts) are applicable for the detection of alkyl adducts as well as bulky, hydrophobic adducts and are discussed in this review. In some cases, postlabeling assays have been tailored for the quantitative detection of specific adducts. Use of multiple optimized postlabeling methods to analyze one DNA sample may enable identification of multiple specific adducts in human DNA. The widest and most promising applications for adduct detection with the postlabeling assay are for previously characterized adducts, where adduct standards are available for optimization and characterization of recovery in the assay. 32P-Postlabeling is a powerful way to measure DNA adducts as it is very sensitive. However, caution should be applied in drawing conclusions from postlabeling studies without appropriate corroborative data using another adduct detection method or without appropriate method development preceding the study. Examples of applications in human, laboratory animal, and environmental studies are available.

Detection and comparison of DNA adducts after in vitro and in vivo diesel emission exposures

Development of methods to evaluate certain classes of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) detected in complex mixtures to which humans are exposed would greatly improve the diagnostic potential of 32P-postlabeling analysis. Identification of DNA adduct patterns or specific exposure-related marker adducts would strengthen associations between observed DNA adducts and exposures to different environmental pollutants (e.g., kerosene, cigarette smoke, coke oven, and diesel). We have compared diesel-modified DNA adduct patterns in various in vitro and in vivo rodent model systems and compared them to DNA reactive oxidative and reductive metabolites of 1-nitropyrene. The formation of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (nitrated PAH) DNA adducts, derived from the metabolism of diesel extract constituents, was enhanced relative to other PAH-derived DNA adducts via xanthine oxidase-catalyzed nitroreduction. These adducts were detectable only by the butanol extraction version of the postlabeling analysis. Five major DNA adducts were detected in human lymphocytes treated in vitro with diesel extract. A major adduct detected in human lymphocytes treated in vitro with diesel extract comigrated with a major adduct detected in lymphocyte DNA treated with benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) alone. Other adducts that co-migrated with the major BaP-derived adducts were detected in skin and lung DNA isolated from rodents topically treated with (50 mg) diesel extract and the major adduct detected in calf thymus DNA treated with rat liver S9 and diesel particle extract. Postlabeling of lung DNA isolated from rodents exposed via lung inhalation for 24 months to diesel combustion emissions resulted in the formation of a major nuclease-P1-sensitive DNA adduct that did not co-migrate with the major BaP-diol epoxide adduct.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

DNA adducts in human urinary bladder and other tissues

Tobacco smoking is associated with an increased risk of cancer in a number of organs, including bladder and lung. Tobacco smoke contains at least 50 known chemical carcinogens that exert their biological effects through their covalent binding to cellular DNA. Examining human DNA for the presence of altered nucleotides is a means of monitoring exposure to genotoxic chemicals. DNA isolated from 73 human bladder biopsies has been analyzed by 32P-postlabeling for the presence of aromatic/hydrophobic adducts. Butanol extraction of DNA digests resulted in up to a 3-fold greater recovery of adducts than nuclease P1 digestion. Among 16 nonsmokers, adduct levels were in the range 3.2-20.8/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.7). Eight ex-smokers had values in the range 2.6-12.3 (mean 7.1). Thirteen smokers had adduct levels between 1.3 and 26.7 adducts/10(8) nucleotides (mean 9.5, not different from nonsmokers). Six cigar smokers had higher levels of adducts (mean 12.1, range 7.3-15.0), but pipe smokers did not (five samples, mean 8.6, range 2.9-12.7). A further 8 samples from nonsmokers and 17 from smokers were examined in more detail. Although most of the DNA binding appears not to be smoking related, the levels of one adduct were found to be on average 2-fold higher in smokers (p < 0.005, one-tailed t test). Studies on tissues of the respiratory tract demonstrate a correlation between DNA adduct levels and exposure to tobacco smoke. Evidence to date on the influence of smoking on adducts in peripheral blood cells is equivocal; some studies demonstrate a significant effect, whereas others do not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Products formed from the in vitro reaction of metabolites of 3-aminochrysene with calf thymus DNA

3-Aminochrysene, a mutagenic geometric isomer of the mutagenic and carcinogenic aromatic amine 6-aminochrysene, has been synthesized and its metabolic activation studied by characterization of the products formed from the reaction of metabolites with calf thymus DNA. DNA adducts produced by 3-aminochrysene via N-oxidation were examined by preparing 3-nitrosochrysene and incubating the nitroso derivative with calf thymus DNA in the presence of ascorbic acid (to generate the N-hydroxy derivative) at pH 5. The major adduct, as determined by 1H-NMR and thermospray-mass spectrometry of the modified nucleoside obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified DNA, was N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3-aminochrysene. Thus, the reaction of N-hydroxy-3-aminochrysene with DNA differs from that of N-hydroxy-6-aminochrysene, which had previously been shown to generate N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-6-aminochrysene, 5-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-6-aminochrysene and N-(deoxyinosin-8-yl)-6- aminochrysene as major adducts. 32P-Postlabeling analysis of DNA treated with 3-aminochrysene in the presence of liver microsomes from rats pretreated with phenobarbital indicated an adduct pattern identical to that seen with DNA that had been treated with 3-nitrosochrysene and ascorbic acid. However, DNA treated with 3-aminochrysene (3-AC) in the presence of liver microsomes from rats pretreated with 3-methylcholanthrene contained a major adduct that was chromatographically distinct from N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3-aminochrysene.

32P-postlabelling and mass spectrometric methods for analysis of bulky, polyaromatic carcinogen-DNA adducts in humans

There has been significant recent progress toward the development of human carcinogen-DNA adduct biomonitoring methods. 32P-Postlabelling is a technique which has found wide application in human studies. 32P-Postlabelling involves enzymatic preparation and labelling of DNA samples, followed by chromatographic separation of carcinogen-nucleotide adducts from unadducted nucleotides. Thin-layer ion-exchange and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been utilized. This paper critically reviews 32P-postlabelling methods for analysis of bulky, polyaromatic carcinogen-DNA adducts and details a strategy to optimize this technique for monitoring human samples. Development of a human carcinogen biomonitoring method requires that the biomarker meet certain criteria: that the biomarker be responsive to exposures known to increase human cancer risk, to reductions in those exposures, and to the influence of metabolic differences. In addition, reliable samples must be available by non-invasive means. The ability of 32P-postlabelling to meet these criteria is traced in the literature and discussed. Identification of specific carcinogen-DNA adducts is a difficult task due to the low (femtomole) levels in human target tissues. Because co-chromatography in thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is generally not considered to be proof of chemical identity, both synchronous fluorescence and HPLC in conjunction with 32P-postlabelling and TLC are used to confirm the identity of specific carcinogen-DNA adducts in human samples. Mass spectrometry is a highly specific method, the sensitivity of which has been improved to the point which may allow its use to confirm the identity of carcinogen-DNA adducts isolated by 32P-postlabelling and other methods. The literature relating to the use of mass spectral techniques in carcinogen-DNA adduct analysis is reviewed.

Comparison of DNA adduct detection between two enhancement methods of the 32P-postlabelling assay in rat lung cells

32P-Postlabeling analysis is a useful assay system for detecting the covalent binding of mutagens and/or carcinogens to DNA. The detection ability of this system has been tremendously enhanced by the incorporation of butanol extraction or nuclease P1 treatment into the experimental protocol. In this study, the sensitivity of adduct detection between these two enhancement methods was compared in vivo or in vitro with 2-aminoanthracene (2AA), 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF), and nitrosated coal dust extract (NCDE) using the lung cells of rats. For the in vivo assay, male CD rats were dosed 3 times via intratracheal instillation, whereas for the in vitro study, rat lungs cut into small pieces were treated with test substances for 16 h without exogenous activation. Although, under the conditions tested, both the butanol and the nuclease P1 methods detected DNA adducts caused by all 3 test agents in rat lung cells in vivo or in vitro, a higher adduct detecting ability was found with the butanol enhancement for 2AA and TNF, and with the nuclease P1 enhancement for NCDE. The results suggest that overall the butanol enhancement method is a more sensitive protocol. However, for detecting unknown adduct-forming chemicals, especially when they are present in complex mixtures, both enhancement methods may have to be used.

Smoking related carcinogen-DNA adducts in biopsy samples of human urinary bladder: identification of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl as a major adduct

The prevalence of covalent modifications to DNA (carcinogen-DNA adducts) in 42 human urinary bladder biopsy samples was investigated by 32P-postlabeling methods, with enhancement by both nuclease P1 treatment and 1-butanol extraction. Total mean carcinogen-DNA adduct levels and the mean levels of several specific adducts were significantly elevated in DNA samples of 13 current smokers, as opposed to 9 never smokers or 20 ex-smokers (5 years abstinence). There was no significant difference between the latter two groups. Several DNA adducts enhanced by nuclease P1 treatment were chromatographically similar to putative hydrocarbon DNA adducts reported earlier for placenta and lung DNA samples obtained from cigarette smokers. Putative aromatic amine adducts were detected by 1-butanol extraction that were not present when the samples were treated with nuclease P1. One of these displayed chromatographic behavior identical to the predominant adduct induced by the human urinary bladder carcinogen, 4-aminobiphenyl, which is present in cigarette smoke. This adduct comigrated in several thin-layer chromatographic systems with a synthetic N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-amino[2,2'-3H]biphenyl-3',5'-bisphosphate marker. Moreover, when this adduct was eluted from the thin-layer chromatograms of several individuals and injected onto an HPLC system, the 32P from the human bladder DNA samples coeluted in the same fraction as the tritiated synthetic N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl marker. These data reinforce an association between cigarette smoking and DNA damage and suggest a molecular basis for the initiation of human urinary bladder cancer by cigarette smoke.

Relative sensitivity of 32P-postlabelling of DNA and the autoradiographic UDS assay in the liver of rats exposed to 2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF)

Groups of male Alderley Park rats were dosed concomitantly with 2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF) by gavage at doses between 0.01 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, and livers sampled 2-72 h later. The liver of one group of animals was perfused to yield hepatocytes which were assayed in vitro for unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) via incorporation of tritiated thymidine and autoradiography. DNA was extracted from the livers of the other group and DNA adduct levels determined using the 32P-postlabelling technique. The major C-8 2-aminofluorene/guanosine adduct and 3 minor adducts were quantitated, enabling the relative sensitivity of the 2 techniques to be compared. A dose- and time-related UDS response was observed, which, at the most sensitive time-point (12 h) enabled DNA repair to be discerned at a dose level of 0.1-1 mg/kg of 2AAF, a response classified as formally positive at 5 mg/kg 2AAF. Only the C-8 adduct, as determined by 32P-postlabelling, was discernible at 0.01 mg/kg of 2AAF, although other adducts were visible on autoradiograms at higher dose levels. It is concluded that as part of a well-defined dose response, UDS can be discerned with confidence for doses of 2AAF between approximately 0.1 and 5 mg/kg, and DNA adducts for doses of 2AAF between approximately 0.01 and 1 mg/kg. Discernible UDS for 2AAF in the rat liver is apparent at approximately 13 DNA (total) adducts/10(8) nucleotides, or approximately 8 DNA (C-8) adducts/10(8) nucleotides. The presumed C-8 2-acetylaminofluorene/guanosine adduct, prepared by reaction of 2-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAAF) with DNA, was a significant but unreliable marker of 2AAF/DNA adducts in the rat liver in vivo. DNA repair did not appear to remove DNA adducts selectively, and adducts remained in DNA when discernible DNA repair had ceased.