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Biomedical subjects

A H Conney

Publications and source records attributed to A H Conney.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Comparison of the effect of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate on cutaneous morphology, inflammation and tumor promotion in CD-1 mice.

Since sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol mimics 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) by inducing ornithine decarboxylase activity and stimulating DNA synthesis in mouse epidermis [Smart, R.C., Huang, M.-T. and Conney, A.H. Carcinogenesis, 7, 1865 (1986)], we have investigated morphological changes induced by TPA and sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol in the epidermis and we have also examined sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol as a possible complete tumor promoter. It was determined that topical application of 2.5 or 10 mumol of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol induced epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity to about the same extent as the application of 1 or 2 nmol of TPA respectively. Therefore, these doses of TPA and sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol were used in most of our studies. Single or multiple application (2 X/week for 4 weeks) of 1, 2 or 5 nmol of TPA to the skin of CD-1 mice produced a dose-dependent increase in the number of epidermal non-cornified cell layers, epidermal thickness, leukocyte infiltration and intracellular edema. In contrast, neither single nor multiple application (2 X/week for 4 weeks) of 2.5 or 10 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol produced any of these responses. However, when 5 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol was applied topically twice a day (10 mumol/day) for 5 days there was a significant increase in the number of epidermal non-cornified cell layers and epidermal thickness. The effects of TPA and sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol were compared using the mouse ear inflammation model. Application of TPA caused edema, but sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol had little or no effect. sn-1,2-Didecanoylglycerol was then evaluated as a complete tumor promoter utilizing the mouse skin two-stage model. CD-1 mice were initiated with 200 nmol 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and then treated with 1 nmol TPA or 2.5 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol twice a week for 28 weeks. A 28 weeks, 28% of the mice treated with TPA had developed tumors, while none of the mice treated with 2.5 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol developed tumors. The data indicate that topical application of 2.5 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol induced ornithine decarboxylase activity to the same extent as a tumor-promoting dose of 1 nmol TPA, but it did not cause morphological changes in the epidermis when applied once or when applied twice a week for 4 weeks and did not function as a complete tumor promoter when applied twice a week for 28 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity, DNA synthesis, and tumor promotion in mouse skin by ascorbic acid and ascorbyl palmitate.

The effects of topically applied 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the level of ascorbic acid in the epidermis and the effects of topically applied ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate (a synthetic lipophilic derivative of ascorbic acid), palmitic acid and sorbitan monopalmitate on TPA-induced epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity, epidermal DNA synthesis, and the promotion of skin tumors were evaluated in female CD-1 mice. Topical application of 5 or 16 nmol of TPA resulted in a 45-50% decrease in the amount of ascorbic acid per mg protein in mouse epidermis at 5 h after TPA application. Large topical doses of ascorbic acid inhibited TPA-induced tumor promotion in mouse epidermis, but smaller doses were inactive. The topical application of relatively small doses of ascorbyl palmitate had a marked inhibitory effect on TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity, DNA synthesis, and tumor promotion in mouse epidermis. Ascorbic acid, palmitic acid, and sorbitan monopalmitate were less effective than ascorbyl palmitate as inhibitors of tumor promotion. The topical application of 4 mumol of ascorbyl palmitate inhibited by 60-76% the induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity and DNA synthesis that occurred after a single topical application of 2 nmol of TPA whereas similar doses of ascorbic acid had no inhibitory effect. The topical application of 4 mumol of ascorbyl palmitate together with 5 nmol of TPA twice weekly for 20 weeks to previously initiated mice inhibited by 91% the number of tumors per mouse.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1987

Role of diaxial versus diequatorial hydroxyl groups in the tumorigenic activity of a benzo[a]pyrene bay-region diol epoxide.

Tumorigenic activities of the (7R,8S,9S,10R)-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro derivatives of benzo[a]pyrene [(+)-B[a]P diol epoxide-2] and 6-fluorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-FB[a]P diol epoxide-2) were evaluated in newborn CD-1 mice. A total dose of 14 nmol of either diol epoxide was administered to preweanling mice, and tumorigenic activity was determined when the mice were 32 to 36 weeks old. At the termination of the study, 13% of solvent-treated control mice had developed lung tumors with an average of 0.19 tumor per mouse. No other tumors were observed in control animals. (+)-B[a]P diol epoxide-2 induced pulmonary tumors in 60% of the mice with an average of 1.9 tumors per mouse, and 14% of the male mice developed hepatic tumors with an average of 0.18 tumor per mouse. In contrast, 6-FB[a]P diol epoxide-2 had no significant tumorigenic activity at the 14-nmol dose. Although both bay-region diol epoxides have the same absolute configuration, (7R,8S,9S,10R), the hydroxyl groups of (+)-B[a]P diol epoxide-2 prefer the pseudoequatorial conformation whereas the hydroxyl groups of 6-FB[a]P diol epoxide-2 prefer the pseudoaxial conformation. The tumorigenicity results reported here are the first direct demonstration that conformation of the hydroxyl groups in a bay-region diol epoxide, in addition to the documented effect of absolute configuration, is an important determinant in the tumorigenic activity of these ultimate carcinogens.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in the rat on the metabolism of fluorinated volatile anesthetics.

Three weeks after dosing male Fischer 344 rats with streptozotocin to induce diabetes, enflurane was administered ip, and 1 h later, fluoride levels were measured in plasma and livers were removed. Hepatic microsomes were prepared, and the oxidative defluorination of enflurane, isoflurane, and methoxyflurane and the reductive defluorination of halothane were measured in vitro. In diabetic rats the defluorination of enflurane was increased 3.4-fold over control levels in vivo and 2.7-fold in vitro. Insulin treatment prevented these effects. In vitro metabolism of isoflurane by livers from diabetic rats was 2.5-fold greater than by livers from control rats, but defluorination of methoxyflurane and of halothane was not altered. The results show that streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats enhances the defluorination of enflurane and of isoflurane but not of methoxyflurane or halothane.

Anesthesia, Inhalation↗
PubMed1986

Stereoselective metabolism of the (+)-(S,S)- and (-)-(R,R)-enantiomers of trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrobenzo[c]-phenanthrene by rat and mouse liver microsomes and by a purified and reconstituted cytochrome P-450 system.

Metabolism of (+)-, (-)-, and (+/-)-trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3, 4-dihydrobenzo[c]phenanthrenes by liver microsomes from rats and mice and by a purified monooxygenase system reconstituted with cytochrome P-450c has been examined. Bay-region 3,4-diol 1,2-epoxides are minor metabolites of both enantiomers of the 3,4-dihydrodiol with liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats or with the reconstituted system (less than 10% of total metabolites). Microsomes from control and phenobarbital-treated rats and from control mice form higher percentages of these diol epoxides (13-36% of total metabolites). Microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats and cytochrome P-450c in the reconstituted system form exclusively the diol expoxide-1 diastereomer, in which the benzylic hydroxyl group and oxirane oxygen are cis to each other, from the (+)-(3S,4S)-dihydrodiol. The same enzymes selectively form the diol expoxide-2 diastereomer, with its oxirane oxygen and benzylic hydroxyl groups trans to each other, from the (-)-(3R,4R)-dihydrodiol (77% of the total diol epoxides). Liver microsomes from control rats show similar stereoselectivity whereas liver microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats and from control mice are less stereoselective. Three bis-dihydrodiols and three phenolic dihydrodiols are also formed from the enantiomeric 3,4-dihydrodiols of benzo[c]phenanthrene. A single diastereomer of one of these bis-dihydrodiols with the newly introduced dihydrodiol group at the 7,8-position accounts for 79-88% of the total metabolites of the (-)-(3R,4R)-dihydrodiol formed by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats or by the reconstituted system containing epoxide hydrolase. In contrast, the (+)-(3S,4S)-dihydrodiol is metabolized to two diastereomers of this bis-dihydrodiol, a third bis-dihydrodiol, and two phenolic dihydrodiols.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Reactivity and tumorigenicity of bay-region diol epoxides derived from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

During the past decade substantial progress has been made in elucidating factors that determine the tumorigenic activity of bay-region diol epoxides, major ultimate carcinogenic metabolites derived from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Neither high nor low chemical reactivity of the diol epoxides (as measured by rates of uncatalyzed solvolysis) is required for high tumorigenic response. In contrast, aspects of molecular structure such as conformation and absolute configuration strongly influence tumorigenic activity. The role of conformation is illustrated by the observation that those diol epoxides whose hydroxyl groups are pseudoaxial are weak or inactive as tumorigens. Absolute configuration is an important determinant of biological activity of bay-region diol epoxides: in all cases studied to date, the predominantly formed (R,S)-diol-(S,R)-epoxides are generally the most tumorigenic of the four metabolically possible configurational isomers. In the course of investigating the effects of structural factors on tumorigenic activity, we identified the (4R,3S)-diol-(2S,1R)-epoxide of benzo(c)phenanthrene as the most potent tumorigen (in initiation-promotion experiments on mouse skin) of the diol epoxides studied to date. Studies of all four configurationally isomeric diol epoxides derived from benzo(c)phenanthrene led to the striking observation that these diol epoxides exhibit an exceptionally high efficiency of covalent binding, relative to hydrolysis, when allowed to react with calf thymus DNA in aqueous solution. Thus, these diol epoxides should provide an excellent tool for the detailed study of such binding. When the four isomeric benzo(c)phenanthrene diol epoxides are compared, there appears to be no simple correlation between tumorigenic response and either the extent of binding to DNA or the major types of deoxyribonucleoside adducts formed. Deoxyribonucleoside adducts of benzo(c)phenanthrene diol epoxide have also been identified from the DNA of cultured rodent embryo cells after treatment of the cells with tritium-labeled benzo(c)phenanthrene. The distribution of adducts is consistent with predominant metabolic formation of the (4R,3S)-diol-(2S,1R)-epoxide; deoxyadenosine is the major site in the cellular DNA attacked by this epoxide, just as it is in DNA in solution. Further experiments are in progress which we hope will identify more subtle aspects of the DNA binding of benzo(c)phenanthrene diol epoxides that may be uniquely correlated with their tumorigenic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Disposition of the naturally occurring antimutagenic plant phenol, ellagic acid, and its synthetic derivatives, 3-O-decylellagic acid and 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid in mice.

The effect of ellagic acid and some of its more lipophilic derivatives on the mutagenicity of (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha,10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenz[a]pyrene was examined in Salmonella typhimurium TA100. Ellagic acid, 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid, 4,4'-di-O-methylellagic acid and 3-O-decylellagic acid were found to have approximately equal antimutagenic activity. The tissue distribution and elimination of ellagic acid, 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid and 3-O-decylellagic acid were examined in CD-1 mice. Little or no ellagic acid (less than 1 nmol/g) was found in blood, lung or liver after the oral administration by gavage of 300 mumol of ellagic acid per kg body weight of after feeding 1% of ellagic acid in the diet for 1 week. Following the i.p. administration of 120 mumol/kg of ellagic acid, the blood and lung levels of ellagic acid were 15-20 nmol/g at 30 min after the dose, and the concentrations of ellagic acid decreased to 1-3 nmol/g at 6-8 h after the dose. A portion of the administered i.p. dose precipitated in the abdominal cavity. After i.v. administration, ellagic acid was eliminated very rapidly from blood, lung and liver, and approximately 70% of the administered dose was recovered in the urine and feces as free ellagic acid and its conjugates. At 2 h after an i.v. injection of 60 mumol/kg of ellagic acid, 46% of the dose was recovered in the urine as ellagic acid and its conjugates. Of this amount, about half was excreted as free ellagic acid and half was excreted as conjugates. An additional 25% of the dose was recovered in the feces (mostly as free ellagic acid) after 7 h. The disposition of 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid or 3-O-decylellagic acid after i.v. administration (32 mumol/kg) was examined and compared to the disposition of the same i.v. dose of ellagic acid. The concentrations of ellagic acid, 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid and 3-O-decylellagic acid decreased rapidly in the blood, liver and lung, but the concentrations of 3-O-decylellagic acid in the lung throughout the experimental period (2-360 min) was on average 20- to 40-fold higher than the corresponding average concentrations of ellagic acid or 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid.

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
PubMed1986

Effect of ellagic acid and 3-O-decylellagic acid on the formation of benzo[a]pyrene-derived DNA adducts in vivo and on the tumorigenicity of 3-methylcholanthrene in mice.

The effect of ellagic acid and its more lipophilic derivative, 3-O-decylellagic acid, on the amount of DNA-bound adducts in the epidermis or lung of CD-1 mice treated with [3H]benzo-[a]pyrene ([3H]B[a]P) was evaluated using several different treatment protocols. The i.v. administration of 50 mumol/kg of ellagic acid or 3-O-decylellagic acid either together with or 5 min before a 0.2 mumol/kg i.v. dose of [3H]B[a]P did not inhibit the formation of pulmonary DNA-bound adducts. Feeding mice a diet that contained 1% ellagic acid for 10 days or the i.p. administration of 120 mumol/kg of ellagic acid 30 min before the i.v. administration of 0.2 mumol/kg of [3H]B[a]P did not inhibit the formation of DNA-bound adducts in the lung. The application of 2,500 nmol of ellagic acid or 3-O-decylellagic acid to mouse skin 5 min before the application of 2, 10 or 50 nmol of [3H]B[a]P had little or no effect on the covalent binding of [3H]B[a]P metabolites to epidermal DNA. Feeding mice a diet containing 1% ellagic acid for 10 days did not inhibit the formation of epidermal DNA-bound adducts after a topical dose of 2 nmol of [3H]B[a]P. Similarly, the topical application of 2,500 nmol of ellagic acid at 2 h, 1 h and 5 min before and at 10 min after the application of 2 nmol of [3H]B[a]P did not inhibit the formation of DNA-bound adducts, but the same dosing regimen of 3-O-decylellagic acid (total dose of 10,000 nmol) resulted in a modest inhibition in the formation of DNA-bound adducts. The topical application of 1,500 nmol of ellagic acid 1 h before the application of 1,500 nmol of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) to CD-1 or BALB/c mice twice weekly did not inhibit the development of skin tumors. Our results indicate that ellagic acid and 3-O-decylellagic acid are not effective in inhibiting [3H]B[a]P DNA adduct formation in mouse skin and lung and that ellagic acid does not inhibit 3-MC-induced skin tumorigenesis in BALB/c or CD-1 mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

sn-1,2-Diacylglycerols mimic the effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in vivo by inducing biochemical changes associated with tumor promotion in mouse epidermis.

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate (TPA) or various acylglycerols were applied topically to CD-1 mice, and biochemical changes associated with tumor promotion in the epidermis were examined. The topical application of 5 mumol of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol caused a 40-fold increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity which was similar to that found after the topical application of 2 nmol of TPA. The time course for the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity by TPA and the time course for its induction by sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol were similar; both compounds produced rapid increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity with peak induction occurring 4-6 h after application of the inducing chemical. sn-1,2-Dioctanoylglycerol and sn-1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol also increased ornithine decarboxylase activity in mouse epidermis, but sn-1,2-dioleoylglycerol, 1,3-didecanoylglycerol and rac-1-monodecanoylglycerol were inactive at the dose tested. trans-Retinoic acid, a potent inhibitor of tumor promotion, markedly inhibited the epidermal induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity that resulted from the topical administration of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol or TPA. The effects of TPA and the acylglycerols on epidermal DNA synthesis in vivo were determined by measuring the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into epidermal DNA. The application of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol or TPA to mouse skin stimulated epidermal DNA synthesis. The maximum increase occurred 18 h after administration of the inducing chemical, and the increase in DNA synthesis was proportional to the dose of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol. Although sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol, sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol and sn-1,2-dioleoylglycerol stimulated epidermal DNA synthesis, sn-1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol, 1,3-didecanoylglycerol and rac-1-monodecanoylglycerol had little or no effect. The increase in epidermal DNA synthesis induced by sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol or TPA was inhibited by the simultaneous application of fluocinolone acetonide, a potent inhibitor of tumor promotion. The results indicate that several sn-1,2-diacylglycerols mimic TPA in vivo with respect to their effects on certain biochemical parameters associated with tumor promotion in mouse skin.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Inhibitory effect of alpha-tocopherol on the formation of nitrosomorpholine in mice treated with morpholine and exposed to nitrogen dioxide.

The possibility that alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) inhibits the formation of nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) in vivo was investigated in mice orally pretreated with alpha-tocopherol (2.5-100 mg/kg body wt) once daily for 6 days. Twenty-four hours later, the animals were injected i.p. with 2 mg of morpholine (MOR) per animal followed by exposure to 47 p.p.m. of NO2 for 2 h. Under these conditions, low oral doses of alpha-tocopherol (2.5-5 mg/kg body wt) significantly decreased NMOR formation in vivo. As total body alpha-tocopherol levels increased, in vivo NMOR formation decreased, and a maximal 50-70% inhibition of NMOR formation occurred at alpha-tocopherol levels of 5 micrograms/g body wt. Additional results showed that NMOR was rapidly eliminated in mice, so that studies which measure the levels of NMOR found in animals treated with MOR and then exposed to NO2 may underestimate the amount of NMOR that is actually formed. Finally, oral pretreatment of up to 100 mg of alpha-tocopherol/kg body wt had no effect on NMOR elimination.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Antipyrine clearance in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Antipyrine (AP) metabolism was studied in four adult patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency and in four (adult) patients with CAH due to non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency. This investigation was prompted by the known biochemical and functional similarities between drug- and steroid-metabolizing enzymes. We hypothesized that a common genetic mechanism may regulate the expression and activity of both the adrenal and hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes. AP half-lives (T1/2, mean +/- SD) were 10.7 +/- 2.1 h in classical CAH patients, 10.1 +/- 0.4 h in the nonclassical CAH patients and 10.9 +/- 2.2 h in the control group, suggesting that there was no significant difference in AP metabolism among the three groups. Similarly, no significant differences were found in the AP apparent volume of distribution (aVd) and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) among the three groups. These results indicate that despite the deficiency of adrenal cytochrome P450 in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency CAH, these individuals have normal hepatic drug metabolizing activity for the biotransformation of AP.

Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital↗
PubMed1986

Inhibitory effect of 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene on the mutagenicity and tumorigenicity of (+/-)-7 beta, 8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene.

The 12 isomeric phenols of benzo(a)pyrene were tested for their ability to inhibit the mutagenic activity of (+/-)-7 beta, 8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2], an ultimate mutagenic and carcinogenic metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene. 3-Hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene [3-HO-B(a)P], a major metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene, was the most potent antagonist tested. Approximately 3 nmol of 3-HO-B(a)P, 14 nmol of 10-HO-B(a)P, and 5-8 nmol of 1-, 2-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 11-, and 12-HO-B(a)P inhibited the mutagenic activity of 0.05 nmol of B(a)P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 by 50% in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 100. The importance of the phenolic group for antimutagenic activity was indicated by the lack of antimutagenic activity of benzo(a)pyrene itself. 3-HO-B(a)P also inhibited the mutagenic activity resulting from the metabolic activation of benzo(a)pyrene and (+/-)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene by rat liver microsomes. This inhibition may have resulted from an effect of 3-HO-B(a)P on the metabolic activation of these carcinogens and/or from a direct effect on the action of B(a)P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2. In a mammalian cell culture system utilizing Chinese hamster V79 cells, 3-HO-B(a)P (8 microM) inhibited the mutagenicity of B(a)P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 (0.2 microM) by 50%. Although 3-HO-B(a)P was a potent inhibitor of the mutagenic activity of bay-region diol epoxides of benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)pyrene, and dibenzo(a,i)pyrene in S. typhimurium strain TA 100, higher concentrations of 3-HO-B(a)P were needed to inhibit the mutagenicity of the chemically less reactive benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxide and the bay-region diol epoxides of benz(a)anthracene, chrysene, and benzo(c)phenanthrene. Both 3-HO-B(a)P and 10-HO-B(a)P accelerated the disappearance of B(a)P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 from 1:9 dioxane-water solutions at pH 7 and 25 degrees C. 3-HO-B(a)P, the most effective antimutagen of the B(a)P phenols tested, was much more reactive with the diol epoxide than 10-HO-B(a)P, the least effective antimutagen. The rate constant for the reaction of 3-HO-B(a)P with the diol epoxide exhibited a nonlinear (greater than first-order) dependence on the concentration of the phenol. Evidence was obtained for covalent adduct formation between the diol epoxide and each of the two phenols.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

7,8-Dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene 9,10-oxide↗
PubMed1986

Bacterial and mammalian cell mutagenicity of four optically active bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides and other derivatives of the nitrogen heterocycle dibenz[c,h]acridine.

The mutagenic activities of the enantiomers of the diastereomeric pair of bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides of the nitrogen heterocycle, dibenz[c,h]acridine, have been evaluated in histidine-dependent strains of Salmonella typhimurium and in an 8-azaguanine-sensitive line of Chinese hamster cells. In strains TA 98 and TA 100 of S. typhimurium the pair of enantiomers with [1R,2S,3S,4R] and [1S,2R,3R,4S] absolute configuration and the benzylic hydroxyl group trans to the epoxide oxygen are 2 to 4 times more mutagenic than the [1S,2R,3S,4R] and [1R,2S,3R,4S] isomers in which the benzylic hydroxyl and epoxide oxygen are cis. In both strains of bacteria there is very little difference in mutagenic activity between the enantiomers of each diastereomer. In contrast to these results in bacteria, the bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxide isomer with [1R,2S,3S,4R] absolute configuration is 5 to 7 times more mutagenic to Chinese hamster V79 cells than are the other 3 isomers. The enantiomeric pair of bay-region tetrahydro-1,2-epoxides of dibenz[c,h]acridine are at least 7 times more mutagenic than the diol-epoxides in the Salmonella assay, and no difference in mutagenic activity is observed between enantiomers. In the Chinese hamster V79 cell system, however, the tetrahydro-1,2-epoxide with [1R,2S] absolute configuration is 2- to 3-fold more mutagenic than its enantiomer with [1S,2R] absolute configuration. Homogeneous rat liver epoxide hydrolase does not catalyze the hydration of the diol-epoxide isomers to nonmutagenic products, although the tetrahydroepoxides, especially the tetrahydro-3,4-epoxide, are metabolized by the enzyme. Results of metabolic activation experiments with the bacterial mutagenesis system and microsomes from Aroclor 1254-treated rats are consistent with the mutagenicity data described above and support the concept that dibenz[c,h]acridine is metabolically activated to a bay-region diol-epoxide. Notably: (a) 3,4-dihydrodibenz[c,h]acridine, the expected precursor of a bay-region tetrahydroepoxide, is metabolized to a potent mutagen; (b) racemic dibenz[c,h]acridine 3,4-dihydrodiol is metabolized to products which are several-fold more mutagenic than are products of the metabolism of dibenz[c,h]acridine or its 1,2- or 5,6-dihydrodiols; and (c) the tetrahydro-3,4-diol, which lacks the isolated bay-region double bond, is not metabolically activated to a bacterial mutagen.

Acridines↗
PubMed1986

Effects of flavonoids on the metabolism of xenobiotics.

Flavonoids represent a large class of naturally occurring plant constituents that are consumed in substantial amounts by experimental animals and by human beings. The ability of flavonoids to activate or inhibit the principal enzyme system involved in the metabolism of lipophilic xenobiotics, including drugs, carcinogens, insecticides and other environmental pollutants, or to induce the synthesis of this enzyme system may have significant pharmacological and toxicological importance. The significant body of literature which illustrates that flavonoids can modulate the tumorigenic activity of polycyclic hydrocarbons and other chemical carcinogens has been reviewed recently (Slaga, Di Giovanni 1984; Wiebel 1980), but further elucidation of mechanisms of action are needed. Possible effects of flavonoids on the metabolism of lipophilic normal body constituents such as steroids and bile acids should be considered, and additional research is needed to determine the extent to which dietary flavonoids can influence the in vivo metabolism of xenobiotics.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Tumorigenicity of optical isomers of the diastereomeric bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides of benzo(c)phenanthrene in murine tumor models.

Tumorigenic activities of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of the diastereomeric, bay-region benzo(c)phenanthrene 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides were evaluated in two mouse tumor models. In an initiation-promotion experiment on mouse skin, a single topical application of 10, 25, or 75 nmol of the compounds was followed by 20 weeks of promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Of the four optical isomers of the bay-region diol epoxides, (-)-(R,2S,3S,4R)-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrogenzo(c )phenanthrene [(-)-diol epoxide-2] and (+)-(1R,2S,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo(c) -phenanthrene [(+)-diol epoxide-1] had equally high tumor-initiating activity while (+)-[1S,2R,3R,4S]-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo (c)phenanthrene [(+)-diol epoxide-2] had less than one-half of the activity of (-)-diol epoxide-2 and (+)-diol epoxide-1. (-)-(1S,2R,3S,4R)-3,4-Dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo(c) -phenanthrene [(-)-diol epoxide-1] was inactive at the doses tested. In newborn mice, (-)-diol epoxide-2 was almost 10-fold more active in producing lung tumors (average number of lung tumors/mouse) than the next most active compound, (+)-diol epoxide-2, at a total dose of 10 nmol. The enantiomers of diol epoxide-1 were inactive at this dose. When the total dose of each optical isomer was increased to 50 nmol, (-)-diol epoxide-1 was still inactive, and (+)-diol epoxide-1 produced a significant number of lung tumors (0.9 lung tumor/mouse), but this isomer still had less than 10% of the activity of the (+)- and (-)-diol epoxide-2 isomers. (-)-Diol epoxide-2, but none of the other optical isomers, also produced a significant incidence of hepatic tumors at the higher dose, and this compound was found to be the most tumorigenic bay-region diol epoxide ever tested in newborn mice. Racemic diol epoxide-1 had approximately 1% of the tumorigenic activity of racemic diol epoxide-2 in newborn mice, but both racemates had equal tumor-initiating activity on mouse skin. These results dramatically illustrate the complexities involved in ranking the relative tumorigenic activities of compounds in different tumor models.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

High tumorigenicity of the 3,4-dihydrodiol of 7-methylbenz[c]acridine on mouse skin and in newborn mice.

The tumorigenicities of 7-methylbenz[c]acridine (7MB[c]ACR) and its five metabolically possible trans-dihydrodiols were determined in two mouse tumor models. In initiation-promotion studies on mouse skin, a single topical application of 0.15 to 0.75 mumol of compound was followed 9 days later by twice weekly applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate for 20 wk. Comparison of the average number of skin tumors per mouse indicated that 7MB[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol, the metabolic precursor of a bay-region diol-epoxide, was 4- to 6-fold more active than the parent compound as a tumor initiator. The 1,2-, 5,6-, 8,9-, and 10,11-dihydrodiols of 7MB[c]ACR had no significant tumor-initiating activity at the doses tested. In newborn mice, a total dose of 0.35 mumol of compound was administered i.p. during the first 15 days of life, and tumorigenic activity was determined when the mice were 32 to 36 wk old. 7MB[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol induced about 8-fold more pulmonary tumors per mouse and 9-fold more hepatic tumors per male mouse than the parent aza-substituted hydrocarbon. The other four dihydrodiols of 7MB[c]ACR had no significant tumorigenic activity. The high tumorigenic activity of 7MB[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol in both tumor models suggests that a bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxide may be an ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of 7MB[c]ACR. 7MB[c]ACR was at least 5-fold more active as a tumor initiator on mouse skin than was the unsubstituted aza-aromatic compound, benz[c]acridine. This latter result indicates that substitution of a methyl group at position 7 of benz[c]acridine leads to enhanced tumor-initiating activity, as has been previously demonstrated for benz[a]anthracene and its 7-methyl derivative.

Acridines↗