Roussin red methyl ester, a tumor promoter isolated from pickled vegetables

Neutral and reduced Roussin's red salt ester [Fe(2)(mu-RS)(2)(NO)(4)] (R = n-Pr, t-Bu, 6-methyl-2-pyridyl and 4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidyl): synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, spectroscopic, electrochemical and density functional theoretical investigations

A series of Roussin's red salt esters [Fe(2)(micro-RS)(2)(NO)(4)] (R = n-Pr (), t-Bu (), 6-methyl-2-pyridyl () and 4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidyl ()) were synthesized by the reaction of Fe(NO)(2)(CO)(2) with thiols or thiolates. Complexes were characterized by IR, UV-vis, (1)H-NMR, electrochemistry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The IR spectra of complexes display one weak and two strong NO stretching frequencies (nu(NO)) in solution, but only two strong nu(NO) in the solid. Density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations using complex as model suggest that two spatial isomers of these complexes bear a 3 kcal energy difference in solution. Frequency calculations of the two isomers provide insight on the origin of the vibrational bands and explain the IR observation of complexes in the solid state and in solution. Cyclic voltammetry shows two quasi-reversible, one-electron reductions for complexes and one quasi-reversible, one-electron reduction for complexes . The paramagnetic complexes [Fe(2)(micro-RS)(2)(NO)(4)](-) ((-)-(-)), which are prepared by the chemical reduction of neutral complexes [Fe(2)(micro-RS)(2)(NO)(4)] (), have also been investigated by EPR spectroscopy. Interestingly, the EPR spectra of complexes [Fe(2)(micro-RS)(2)(NO)(4)](-) ((-)-(-)) exhibit an isotropic signal of g = 1.998-2.004 without hyperfine splitting in the temperature range 180-298 K. The observations are consistent with the results of the calculations, which reveal that the unpaired electron is dominantly delocalized over the two sulfur and two iron atoms. The difference of the g values between the reduced form of Roussin's red ester and the typical dinitrosyl iron complexes is explained, for the first time, by the difference in unpaired electron distributions between the two types of complexes, which provides the theoretical bases for the use of g values as a spectroscopic tool to differentiate these biologically active complexes.

Transcription elongation past O6-methylguanine by human RNA polymerase II and bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase

O⁶-Methylguanine (O⁶-meG) is a major mutagenic, carcinogenic and cytotoxic DNA adduct produced by various endogenous and exogenous methylating agents. We report the results of transcription past a site-specifically modified O⁶-meG DNA template by bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and human RNA polymerase II. These data show that O⁶-meG partially blocks T7 RNA polymerase and human RNA polymerase II elongation. In both cases, the sequences of the truncated transcripts indicate that both polymerases stop precisely at the damaged site without nucleotide incorporation opposite the lesion, while extensive misincorporation of uracil is observed in the full-length RNA. For both polymerases, computer models suggest that bypass occurs only when O⁶-meG adopts an anti conformation around its glycosidic bond, with the methyl group in the proximal orientation; in contrast, blockage requires the methyl group to adopt a distal conformation. Furthermore, the selection of cytosine and uracil partners opposite O⁶-meG is rationalized with modeled hydrogen-bonding patterns that agree with experimentally observed O⁶-meG:C and O⁶-meG:U pairing schemes. Thus, in vitro, O⁶-meG contributes substantially to transcriptional mutagenesis. In addition, the partial blockage of RNA polymerase II suggests that transcription-coupled DNA repair could play an auxiliary role in the clearance of this lesion.

Chemopreventive properties of black raspberries in N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced rat esophageal tumorigenesis: down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and c-Jun

Our laboratory has used a rodent model of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to identify putative chemopreventive agents for this disease and to determine their mechanisms of action. In the present study, we treated F344 rats with the esophageal carcinogen, N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA), thrice per week for 5 weeks. Beginning 1 week later, they were fed a synthetic diet containing 5% black raspberries (BRB) for the duration of the bioassay (25 weeks). Rats were sacrificed at weeks 9, 15, and 25. Esophageal tissues were collected, and tumor data were recorded. The expression and enzymatic activities of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) as well as the expression of c-Jun in the esophagi, were evaluated to investigate the mechanism(s) by which black raspberries modulate tumorigenesis. At week 25, BRB inhibited tumor multiplicity, the standard end point in this tumor model, from 3.78 +/- 0.41 tumors per rat in NMBA-treated animals to 2.23 +/- 0.21 tumors per rat in animals treated with NMBA plus BRB (P < 0.005). BRB reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of COX-2, iNOS, and c-Jun as well as the level of prostaglandin E(2) in preneoplastic lesions of the esophagus at week 25. The berries inhibited mRNA expression of iNOS and c-Jun, but not COX-2, in papillomatous lesions of the esophagus. Prostaglandin E(2) and total nitrite levels were also decreased by BRB in papillomas. These results suggest a novel tumor suppressive role of BRB through inhibition of COX-2, iNOS, and c-Jun.

Phytol is a novel tumor promoter on ICR mouse skin

Phytol is a branched, long-chain aliphatic alcohol which has various biological effects. In this study, we examined phytol as a tumor promoter in a mouse skin initiation-promotion model, and compared its promotion activity with that of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Female ICR mice, 7 weeks of age, were initiated with 100 microg of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, and were then topically promoted twice a week for 16 weeks with 100 mg of phytol or with 2.5 microg of TPA. In this model 95% of animals treated with phytol developed skin tumors within 16 weeks. The average number of lesions per mouse treated with phytol was significantly lower than that in mice treated with TPA, and this significant difference continued up to 16 weeks after the end of promotion treatment. Characterization of hyperplasia 48 h after topical application of agents showed that epidermal thickness and vertical thickness following topical application of phytol were significantly increased compared with vehicle controls, but were significantly smaller than in animals treated with TPA. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity following topical application of phytol was increased in a dose-dependent manner and showed a weak, delayed induction (which was maximal 11-12 h after treatment) as compared with the case of TPA. The specific binding of [3H]phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBU) by JB6 cells was not inhibited by phytol at concentrations up to 1 mM. These results indicate that phytol has a weak tumor promoter activity compared to TPA and is a non-TPA-type tumor promoter in this model of mouse skin carcinogenesis.