CP-arene oxides: the ultimate, active mutagenic forms of cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CP-PAHs)

A look beyond the priority: A systematic review of the genotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic endpoints of non-priority PAHs

Knowledge of the toxic potential of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased over time. Much of this knowledge is about the 16 United States - Environmental Protection Agency (US - EPA) priority PAHs; however, there are other US - EPA non-priority PAHs in the environment, whose toxic potential is underestimated. We conducted a systematic review of in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies to assess the genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity of 13 US - EPA non-priority parental PAHs present in the environment. Electronic databases, such as Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, were used to search for research with selected terms without time restrictions. After analysis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, 249 articles, published between 1946 and 2020, were selected and the quality assessment of these studies was performed. The results showed that 5-methylchrysene (5-MC), 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (7,12-DMBA), cyclopenta[cd]pyrene (CPP), and dibenzo[al]pyrene (Db[al]P) were the most studied PAHs. Moreover, 5-MC, 7,12-DMBA, benz[j]aceanthrylene (B[j]A), CPP, anthanthrene (ANT), dibenzo[ae]pyrene (Db[ae]P), and Db[al]P have been reported to cause mutagenic effects and have been being associated with a risk of carcinogenicity. Retene (RET) and benzo[c]fluorene (B[c]F), the least studied compounds, showed evidence of a strong influence on the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity endpoints. Overall, this systematic review provided evidence of the genotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic endpoints of US - EPA non-priority PAHs. However, further studies are needed to improve the future protocols of environmental analysis and risk assessment in severely exposed populations.

Heteroatom effects on aromaticity of five-membered rings in acenaphthylene analogs

The pattern of cyclic conjugation was thoroughly studied in the series of N- and P-acenaphthylene derivatives using several different aromaticity indices: the energy effect (ef), multicenter delocalization index (MCI), harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) index, and nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS). The Kekulé-structure-based reasoning predicts that there would be no cyclic conjugation in the "empty" five-membered heteroatom-containing rings in the studied molecules. It was found that according to the ef, MCI, and HOMA values, the extent of cyclic conjugation in the pentagonal rings is strongly influenced by the number and mutual arrangement of the hexagonal rings. In addition, it was revealed that in some of the examined molecules, the intensity of cyclic conjugation in the "empty" pentagons is even stronger than that of some hexagonal rings within the same molecule. The obtained results refute what one would expect based on "chemical intuition," which is usually strongly rooted to the Kekulé structures.Graphical abstract.

Synthesis of cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons utilizing aryl-substituted anilines

Cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were synthesized from readily available 2-aryl-substituted anilines under extremely mild conditions.

Aromaticity in pericondensed cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determined by density functional theory nucleus-independent chemical shifts and the Y-rule — Implications in oil asphaltene stability

The characterization of the stability of the fused aromatic region (FAR) in oil asphaltenes in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic stability is primary. Such an understanding is important if we are to get the optimal use from the heavy fraction of any crude oil. The FAR region is composed of pericondensed cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (CPPAHs) with N, S, and O heteroatoms. The Clar model, which states that the most important representation of a PAH is one having the maximum number of disjoint π-sextets, depicted by inscribed circles, and a minimum number of fixed double bonds, captures the essence of the kinetic and thermodynamic stability arguments. This model is readily employed for complex aromatics of the sort to be considered for asphaltenes. In the present research we prove that the aromaticity of CPPAHs can be assessed by using the qualitative easy-to-apply Y-rule. In the literature, it is proven that the Y-rule is applicable to elucidate the aromaticity of benzenoid PAHs and it has been validated for pericondensed benzenoid PAHs but not for pericondensed CPPAHs. Here, we verify that it is applicable for CPPAHs. The applicability of the Y-rule has been theoretically proven by comparing the π-electronic distribution obtained with it with the one obtained from nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level. The importance of doing this is that due to the polydispersity in the composition of the oil asphaltenes, and to understand their aromatic core structure, it is necessary to be able to asses the aromaticity of many cyclopenta-fused PAHs (possibly more than 500), of different sizes (up to 15 rings between hexagons and pentagons), and different spatial rearrangements in a quick but realistic and effective way. To try to do this with NICS will be very time consuming and computationally expensive, especially in the case of big systems.

Bioaccumulation of cyclopenta[cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]fluoranthene by mussels transplanted in a coastal lagoon

The bioaccumulation of two isomeric non-alternant non-priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), namely cyclopenta[cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]fluoranthene, was investigated in caged mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed for 30 days in three sites of a coastal lagoon (Pialassa Baiona, Ravenna, Italy) contaminated by pyrogenic PAHs. The concentration of cyclopenta[cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]fluoranthene increased from undetectable levels in reference mussels withdrawn from the Adriatic sea to 10-30 ng g(-1) dry weight in transplanted mussels. Other contaminants bioaccumulated by caged mussels included pyrene, fluoranthene and mercury. Whilst the isomer concentration ratio pyrene/fluoranthene in biota was comparable to that observed in sediments, the cyclopenta[cd]pyrene/benzo[ghi]fluoranthene ratio was much lower in mussels than in sediments. The lower sediment biota accumulation factor of cyclopenta[cd]pyrene with respect to that of benzo[ghi]fluoranthene was tentatively attributed to the greater biological activity of the former compound, which contains a reactive olefinic bond in the cyclopenta fused ring moiety. Given the higher mutagenic activity of cyclopenta[cd]pyrene with respect to other priority PAHs, its bioaccumulation from contaminated sediments may rise considerably the overall toxicity of PAH residues in exposed biota.

Electron Affinities of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Means of B3LYP/6-31+G* Calculations

The gas-phase experimental adiabatic electron affinities (AEAs) of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) anthracene, tetracene, pentacene, chrysene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[e]pyrene, and fluoranthene are well reproduced using the hybrid density functional method B3LYP with the 6-31+G* basis set, indicating that the smallest addition of diffuse functions to the basis set is suitable for a correct description of the stable PAH anion states. The calculated AEAs also give a very good linear correlation with available reduction potentials measured in solution. The AEAs (not experimentally available) of the isomeric benzo[ghi]fluoranthene and cyclopenta[cd]pyrene, commonly found in the environment, are predicted to be 0.817 and 1.108 eV, respectively, confirming the enhancement of the electron-acceptor properties associated with fusion of a peripheral cyclopenta ring. The calculated localization properties of the lowest unoccupied MO of cyclopenta[cd]pyrene, together with its relatively high electron affinity, account for a high reactivity at the ethene double bond of this PAH in reductive processes.