Metabolism of polycyclic compounds. 24. The metabolism of benz[alpha]anthracene

The role of metabolism in the developmental toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-containing extracts of petroleum substances

In vitro assays presently used for prenatal developmental toxicity (PDT) testing only assess the embryotoxic potential of parent substances and not that of potentially embryotoxic metabolites. Here we combined a biotransformation system, using hamster liver microsomes, with the ES‐D3 cell differentiation assay of the embryonic stem cell test (EST) to compare the in vitro PDT potency of two 5‐ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA), and dimethyl sulfoxide extracts from five PAH‐containing petroleum substances (PS) and a gas‐to‐liquid base oil (GTLb), with and without bioactivation. In the absence of bioactivation, DBA, but not BaP, inhibited the differentiation of ES‐D3 cells into beating cardiomyocytes in a concentration‐dependent manner. Upon bioactivation, BaP induced in vitro PDT, while its major metabolite 3‐hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was shown to be active in the EST as well. This means BaP needs biotransformation to exert its embryotoxic effects. GTLb extracts tested negative in the EST, with and without bioactivation. The PS‐induced PDT in the EST was not substantially changed following bioactivation, implying that metabolism may not play a crucial role for the PS extracts under study to exert the in vitro PDT effects. Altogether, these results indicate that although some PAH require bioactivation to induce PDT, some do not and this latter appears to hold for the (majority of) the PS constituents responsible for the in vitro PDT of these complex substances.

The present study combines a biotransformation system, using hamster liver microsomes, with the embryonic stem cell test to compare the in vitro prenatal developmental toxicity potency of two 5‐ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzo[a]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and dimethyl sulfoxide extracts from five PAH‐containing petroleum substances and a gas‐to‐liquid base oil, with and without bioactivation.

The metabolism of benz[a]anthracene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene and their 5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro derivatives by rat-liver homogenates

1. Benz[a]anthracene was hydroxylated by rat-liver homogenates on the 3,4-,5,6- or 8,9-bond to yield phenols and dihydrodihydroxy compounds. Metabolic action at the 7- and 12-positions was also detected. 5,6-Epoxy-5,6-dihydrobenzanthracene was converted into a phenol that is probably 5-hydroxybenzanthracene and 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxybenzanthracene. Both substrates yielded a product that is probably S-(5,6-dihydro-6-hydroxy-5-benzanthracenyl)glutathione. 2. Dibenz[a,h]anthracene was hydroxylated by rat-liver homogenates to yield products that are probably 3- and 4-hydroxydibenzanthracene, 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxydibenzanthracene, 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxydibenzanthracene and 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxydibenzanthracene. There was no evidence for metabolic action at the 7- and 14-positions. 5,6-Epoxy-5,6-dihydrodibenzanthracene was converted into a phenol that is probably 5-hydroxydibenzanthracene and 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxydibenzanthracene. Both substrates yielded a glutathione conjugate that is probably S-(5,6-dihydro-6-hydroxy-5-dibenzanthracenyl)glutathione. 3. The synthesis of 5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydrodibenzanthracene is described and the reactions of this epoxide and 5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydrobenzanthracene with water and thiols have been investigated. 4. The oxidation of dibenzanthracene in the ascorbic acid-Fe(2+) ion-oxygen model system is described.

METABOLISM OF POLYCYCLIC COMPOUNDS. THE METABOLISM OF 7,12-DIMETHYLBENZ(ALPHA)ANTHRACENE BY RAT-LIVER HOMOGENATES

1. The main products of the metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene by rat-liver homogenates are the isomeric monohydroxymethyl derivatives. The syntheses of these compounds are described. 2. Two phenolic products and two dihydrodihydroxy compounds were formed, but none of these appeared to have been formed by hydroxylation at the ;K region'. There was little evidence for the formation of a glutathione conjugate of the hydrocarbon. 3. The monohydroxymethyl derivatives are products of the hydroxylation of the hydrocarbon in the ascorbic acid-Fe(2+)-oxygen model hydroxylating system.

METABOLISM OF POLYCYCLIC COMPOUNDS. THE METABOLISM OF 1,4-EPOXY-1,4-DIHYDRONAPHTHALENE IN RATS

1. 1,4-Epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene is converted by rats into 1,4:2,3-diepoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, which was isolated from the urine. The synthesis of the diepoxide is described. 2. The monoepoxide also yielded a compound that is believed to be 1,4-dihydro-1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene, but no corresponding mercapturic acid was detected. A number of unidentified metabolites of the monoepoxide were detected that appear to arise by the hydroxylation of the diepoxide. 3. The monoepoxide is converted into the diepoxide by a rat-liver microsomal system. 4. 1,4-Epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalene does not appear to be an intermediate in naphthalene metabolism.

Influence of lighting conditions on toxicity and genotoxicity of various PAH in the newt in vivo

We evaluated the influence of near-ultraviolet light (UVA) on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of 7 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in larvae of the amphibian Pleurodeles waltl. Benz[a]anthracene (BA), 7,12-benz[a]anthraquinone (BAQ) and anthracene (Ac) proved to be lethal at low doses (some ppb), and the following order of genotoxicity was observed: BA approximately BAQ > DMBA > DMA (9,10-dimethylanthracene). Ac, AQ (9,10-anthraquinone) and DBA (dibenz[a,h]anthracene) were not found to be clastogenic. In the larvae reared in normal conditions (subdued natural daylight/darkness alternation) or in continuous darkness, the BA derivatives were shown to be more genotoxic than BA itself: DMBA > BAQ > BA; BA (> or = 187.5 ppb) slightly increased the level of micronuclei in circulating erythrocytes, while DMBA was strongly clastogenic, in line with their reported carcinogenicity. In other experiments, rearing media alone (i.e., water containing BA, BAQ or DMBA) were UVA-irradiated for 24 h, and then tested on larvae in the dark ('IR-UV/dark' conditions). Photodegradation of BA (50 and 100 ppb) gave rise to clastogenic products. By contrast, DMBA (12.5, 25 or 50 ppb) was destroyed by UVA, and we suggested that any potentially mutagenic photoproducts formed were not in sufficient amounts to yield a positive response in the newt micronucleus test.

Pathways involved in the metabolism and activation of polycyclic hydrocarbons

The metabolism and activation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has been reviewed and the original contributions made to this area by Professor E. Boyland have been placed in context. The reactions involved in the formation, via epoxides, of hydroxylated derivatives have been outlined and conjugations with glucuronic and sulphuric acids and with glutathione have been discussed. Examples of secondary hydroxylation reactions have been given and the possible role that phenolic hydroxyl groups may play in activating epoxides considered. Mechanism by which polycyclic hydrocarbons are activated by metabolism to epoxides of various types have been included, mainly by reference to benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene and chrysene. The tissue and species specific effects of polycyclic hydrocarbons have been referred to and the tissues that may act as targets in man for the initiation of malignancy by polycyclic hydrocarbons mentioned.

Oxidative metabolism of 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene, 12-methylbenz[a]anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene by rat liver cytosol

Earlier studies from this laboratory demonstrated that benz[a]anthracene (BA), 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene (7-MBA) and 12-methylbenz[a]anthracene (12-MBA) undergo a bio-alkylation substitution reaction in the meso-anthracenic position(s) or L-region leading to the biosynthesis of the potent carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (7,12-DMBA). These results support the hypothesis that for most, if not all, unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogens, the chemical or biochemical introduction of an alkyl group in the meso-anthracenic position(s) or L-region is a structural requirement for strong carcinogenic activity. Here we report that the L-region methyl derivatives 7-MBA, 12-MBA and 7,12-DMBA are oxidized to hydroxymethyl derivatives by a rat liver cytosol preparation without any apparent oxidation of the ring positions.

The induction of sister-chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster ovary cells by K-region epoxides and some dihydrodiols derived from benz[a]anthracene, dibenz[a,c]anthracene and dibenz[a, h]anthracene

Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of 3 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benz[a]anthracene, dibenz[a,c]anthracene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene and K-region epoxides and some of their related dihydrodiols on the chromosomes of Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro. Of the 3 hydrocarbons only benz[a]anthracene showed any activity in inducing sister-chromatid exchanges. The K-region epoxide and the 3,4-dihydrodiol have been found to be more active than the corresponding K-region or the other non-K-region dihydrodiols derived from benz[a]anthracene. Although dibenz[a,c]anthracene was almost inactive, the K-region 5,6-epoxide and all 3 possible dihydrodiols, the 1,2- 3,4- and 10,11-diols were active in inducing increased numbers of sister-chromatid exchanges in the chromosomes of these cells. The 3,4-dihydrodiol of dibenz[a,h]anthracene was also active in inducing sister-chromatid exchanges whereas the 1,2- and 5,6-dihydrodiols were only weakly active. This study provides some support for the suggestion that the activation of these 3 hydrocarbons proceeds by the metabolic conversion of non-K-region dihydrodiols into vicinal diol-epoxides.

Polycyclic hydrocarbon activation and metabolism in epithelial cell aggregates prepared from human mammary tissue

The metabolism of benz(a)anthracene (BA), 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and benzo(a)pyrene (BP) by human mammary epithelial cell aggregates in culture has been investigated using non-neoplastic tissues obtained from eight patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty. All three hydrocarbons were metabolized to water-soluble and organic solvent-soluble products and the latter included both K-region and non-K-region dihydrodiols. The major dihydrodiols detected as metabolites of the parent hydrocarbons were the 8,9-dihydrodiols of BA and DMBA and the 9,10-dihydrodiol of BP. The 1,2-dihydrodiols of BA and DMBA and the 11,12-dihydrodiol of BP were not detected. The hydrocarbons also became bound to the proteins and DNA of the epithelial cells but there were wide differences in the extents of binding occurring with the different hydrocarbons and in the extents of metabolism and binding occurring with tissue preparations from different patients. Some of the hydrocarbon-deoxyribonucleoside adducts formed from DMBA and BP appeared to have arisen through reactions of "bay-region" diol-epoxides with DNA, but only very low levels of reaction with DNA were detected in tissue preparations treated with BA.

Benzo[a]pyrene metabolism in cells productively infected with simian virus 40

The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) by cell cultures and cell-free extracts of the monkey kidney cell line CV-1 was studied in uninfected and Simian virus 40 (SV40) infected cells. Metabolites formed were separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and quantified by liquid scintillation techniques. The profiles metabolites formed by uninfected and SV40 infected cells were similar except that SV40 infected cell cultures metabolized BP at an increased rate relative to uninfected cells. In addition, SV40 infected cell cultures and cell-free extracts produced an unknown compound which eluted between the 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene and BP fractions. This material does not have a retention time characteristic of any of the known metabolites of BP. Labelled BP and/or its metabolites were bound to the viral DNA and histone components of intracellular viral minichromosomes as well as the viral DNA and proteins of mature virions.

The metabolism of a series of polycyclic hydrocarbons by mouse skin maintained in short-term organ culture

Investigations on the metabolism of 3H-labelled chrysene, benz[a]anthracene, 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, 3-methylcholanthrene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,c]anthracene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene by mouse skin maintained in short-term organ culture were carried out. Estimations of the distribution of the metabolites of each hydrocarbon present after 24 h showed that there were wide variations both in the rates at which the hydrocarbons were metabolised and in the amounts of metabolites covalently bound to skin macromolecules. All the hydrocarbons were metabolised to dihydrodiols, which were identified by comparison on high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with the authentic compounds, and these were the same diols as those that were formed in previous experiments with rat-liver microsomal fractions. However, free dihydrodiols represented only relatively small proportions of the total amounts of metabolites formed. All the hydrocarbons yielded dihydrodiols of the type that could give rise to bay-region diol-epoxides, when further metabolised, some of which are thought to be involved in hydrocarbon carcinogenesis.

Comparison of mutagenesis and malignant transformation by dihydrodiols from benz[a]anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

Five dihydrodiols derived from benz[a]anthracene (BA) and 4 dihydrodiols derived from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) have been tested, together with the parent hydrocarbons, for their abilities to induce mutations to 8-azaguanine resistance in V79 (Chinese hamster cells and malignant transformation in M2 mouse fibroblasts. The syn- and anti-isomers of benz[a]anthracene 8,9-diol 10,11-oxide were also tested for biological activity in these two systems. The non-K-region 1,2- and 3,4-dihydrodiols of BA induced mutations but the non-K-region 8,9-dihydrodiol and the K-region 5,6-dihydrodiol were inactive as mutagens; none of these BA diols transformed M2 mouse fibroblasts. The 3,4- and the 8,9-dihydrodiols derived from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene induced mutations in V79 cells and malignant transformation in M2 mouse fibroblasts and both were more active than the hydrocarbon itself. The K-region 5,6-dihydrodiol and the non-K-region 10,11-dihydrodiol of DMBA were inactive in both test systems. The results are not inconsistent with other data suggesting that the metabolic activation of both BA and DMBA occurs through conversion of the respective 3,4-dihydrodiols into the related vicinal diol-epoxides, although other dihydrodiols may also be involved in vivo. Both the BA diol-epoxides tested were mutagenic, but although the anti-isomer transformed M2 fibroblasts, the syn-isomer was inactive.

The formation of dihydrodiols by the chemical or enzymic oxidation of benz[a] anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene

When benz[a] anthracene was oxidised in a reaction mixture containing ascorbic acid, ferrous sulphate and EDTA, the non-K-region dihydrodiols, trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxybenz[a] anthracene and trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxybenz[a] anthracene together with small amounts of the 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiols were formed. When oxidised in a similar system, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene yielded the K-region dihydrodiol, trans-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene and the non-K-region dihydrodiols, trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene, trans-8,9-dihydro-8,9-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene, trans-10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene and a trace of the 1,2-dihydrodiol. The structures and sterochemistry of the dihydrodiols were established by comparisons of their UV spectra and chromatographic characteristics using HPLC with those of authentic compounds or, when no authentic compounds were available, by UV, NMR and mass spectral analysis. An examination by HPLC of the dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism, by rat-liver microsomal fractions, of benz[a] anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene was carried out. The metabolic dihydriols were identified by comparisons of their chromatographic and UV or fluorescence spectral characteristics with compounds of known structures. The principle metabolic dihydriols formed from both benz[a] anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene were the trans-5,6- and trans-8,9-dihydrodiols. The 1,2- and 10,11-dihydrodiols were identified as minor products of the metabolism of benz [a] anthracene and the tentative identification of the trans-3,4-dihydriol as a metabolite was made from fluorescence and chromatographic data. The minor metabolic dihydriols formed from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene were the trans-3,4-dihydrodiol and the trans-10,11-dihydriol but the trans-1,2-dihydrodiol was not detected in the present study.

Induction of sister-chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster ovary cells treated in vitro with non-K-region dihydrodiols of 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene

Studies were carried out on the incidence of sister-chromatid exchanges induced in Chinese hamster ovary cells by in vitro treatment with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene and with related K-region and non-K-region dihydrodiols. Appreciable increased in the incidence of sister-chromatid exchanges were apparent in cells treated with non-K-region dihydrodiols: the most active compounds were 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7-methylbenz[a]anthracene and 7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene and the effects were dose-dependent. The parent hydrocarbons and the related K-region dihydrodiols induced some sister-chromatid exchanges but they were considerably less active than these two non-K-region diols. The results suggest that this system may usefully be applied to studies aimed at determining which dihydrodiols are important in the metabolic activation of the carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. These and other results also infer that Chinese hamster ovary cells possess some intrinsic ability to metabolize such compounds in the absence of exogenous activation systems.

Tumorigenicity of five dihydrodiols of benz(a)anthracene on mouse skin: exceptional activity of benz(a)anthracene 3,4-dihydrodiol

Benz[a]anthracene and the five metabolically possible vicinal trans dihydrodiols of benz[a]anthracene were tested for ability to initiate skin tumors in CD-1 female mice. A single topical application of 0.4-2.0 mumol of hydrocarbon was followed 18 days later by twice weekly applications of the skin promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Comparisons of latency period, percent of mice with tumors, and number of papillomas observed per mouse indicated that benz[a]anthracene 1,2-, 5,6-, 8,9-, and 10, 11-dihydrodiols were all less active tumor initiators than was benz[a]anthracene. The high tumorigenicity of benz[a]anthracene 3,4-dihydrodiol, presumably the result of metabolism to either or both of the diastereomeric benz[a]anthracene 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides, supports the bay region theory of polycyclic hydrocarbon carcinogenicity and provides the first example of a proximate carcinogenic metabolite that is much more active than the parent hydrocarbon on mouse skin.

The metabolic activation of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene in mouse skin

The metabolism of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene by rat-liver preparations and by mouse skin has been studied using a combination of thin-layer and high pressure liquid chromatography and all five possible trans-dihydrodiols have been detected as metabolites but in different proportions. The roles of these dihydrodiols and of the related vicinal diol-epoxides in the metabolic activation of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene in mouse skin has been studied using Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The results show that the hydrocarbon-nucleic acid products formed in mouse skin in vivo most probably arise from 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7-methylbenz(a)anthracene 1,2-oxide which, on the basis of this and other evidence, appears to be the reactive intermediate involved in the metabolic activation of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene in this tissue.

The metabolic activation of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene: the induction of malignant transformation and mutation in mammalian cells by non-K-region dihydrodiols

Four different dihydrodiols derived from 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene have been tested, together with the parent hydrocarbon, for their ability to induce the in vitro malignant transformation of mouse M2 fibroblasts and mutations in V79 Chinese hamster cells. In the transformation tests withe the non-K-region dihydrodiols, the 3,4-diol was the most active dihydrodiol tested and the 8,9-diol was also more active than 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene itself; the 1,2-diol showed only slight activity. The K-region dihydrodiol, the 5,6-diol, which cannot be directly metabolized to a vicinal diol-epoxide, was inactive. These differences in biological activity were similar to those apparent in the results from the mutagenicity tests. The data support the general hypothesis that non-I-region dihydrodiols, which can be metabolized to vicinal diol-epoxides, are important in the metabolic activation of the carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons and, when taken together with other results, indicate that 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7-methylbenz(a)anthracene is most probably involved in the metabolic activation of 7-methylbenz(a)anthracene presumably following conversion into the related diol-epoxide, 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7-methylbenz(a)anthracene 1,2,-oxide.

Glutathione conjugates as metabolites of benz[a]anthracene

1. [3H]Benz[a]anthracene is converted into water-soluble metabolites by microsomal plus soluble fractions of rat-liver in the presence of NADPH and glutathione. Chromatography on Sephadex G25 gave four radioactive peaks; the first contained hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon derivatives bound to soluble protein while the other three peaks contained glutathione conjugates of hydrocarbon metabolites. 2. Conjugates formed when either of the benz[a]anthracene metabolites, 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxybenz[a]anthracene or 8,9-dihydro-8,9-dihydroxybenz[a]anthracene, were similarly incubated were probably S-(5,6,8,9-tetrahydro-5,6,9-trihydroxybenz[a]anthracen-8-yl)glutathione and S-(5,6,8,9-tetrahydro-6,8,9-trihydroxybena[a]anthracen-5-yl)glutathione respectively. The corresponding peak obtained in the metabolism of benz[a]anthracene probably contains a mixture of these two isomers. 3. The third peak contained the conjugate, S-(5,6-dihydro-l-hydroxybenz-[a]anthracen-k-yl)glutathione, also formed by the conjugation of the "K-region" epoxide of benz[a]anthracene with glutathione. This was not formed in the metabolism of the dihydrodiols. 4. The fourth peak contained a new type of conjugate that is probably S-(8,9,10,11-tetrahydro-8,9,10-trihydroxybenz[a]anthracen-11-yl)glutathione. This conjugate is chromatographically similar to a product obtained from incubation of the 8,9-dihydrodiol, and is probably formed by microsomal oxidation of the 10,11-bond of the dihydrodiol, followed by conjugation of the resulting diol-epoxide with glutathione.

Epoxy derivatives of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons. The preparation of benz( )anthracene 8,9-oxide and 10,11-dihydrobenz( )anthracene 8,9-oxide and their metabolism by rat liver preparations

The syntheses of 10,11-dihydrobenz[a]anthracene 8,9-oxide, benz[a]anthracene 8,9-oxide and 9-hydroxybenz[a]anthracene are described, together with those of a number of related compounds. The epoxides react both chemically and enzymically with water to yield the corresponding dihydrodiols and with reduced glutathione to form glutathione conjugates, and they react chemically with N-acetylcysteine to yield the corresponding mercapturic acids. 8,9-Dihydro-8,9-dihydroxybenz[a]anthracene, formed enzymically from benz[a]anthracene 8,9-oxide, was identical with a dihydrodiol formed when benz[a]anthracene was metabolized by rat liver homogenates. Similarly 10,11-dihydrobenz[a]anthracene 8,9-oxide yielded a dihydrodiol identical with the product formed when 10,11-dihydrobenz[a]anthracene was metabolized.