Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A H Conney

Publications and source records attributed to A H Conney.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Urinary excretion of nitrosodimethylamine and nitrosoproline in humans: interindividual and intraindividual differences and the effect of administered ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol.

Gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry methods were developed for quantifying nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and nitrosoproline (NPRO) in human urine. The limits of quantitation of these methods, which utilize stable isotope analogues of NDMA and NPRO as internal standards, were 5 pg per ml for NDMA and 0.14 ng per ml for NPRO. The assays were used to quantify NDMA and NPRO in urine samples collected 4 times a wk for 5 wk from 24 healthy volunteers. The mean urinary excretion of NDMA during this time was found to be 38.2 ng per day, and the mean urinary excretion of NPRO was found to be 3.26 micrograms per day. Treatment of the volunteers with 600 mg of ascorbic acid and 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol 4 times a day for the final 3 wk of the study did not influence the urinary excretion of NDMA or NPRO. Considerable person-to-person and day-to-day variations were observed for the urinary excretion of both nitrosamines, but the urinary excretion of NDMA was not correlated with the urinary excretion of NPRO. Person-to-person and day-to-day differences in the urinary excretion were greater for NPRO than for NDMA. The mean urinary excretion of NDMA by the 24 subjects was as much as 5-fold higher on some days than on other days, but this was not observed for NPRO. Day-to-day differences in the mean urinary excretion of NDMA were correlated with the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the air.

Adult↗

Stimulatory effect of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the formation of skin tumors in mice treated chronically with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene.

The effect of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3) and its 24,24-difluoro analog on the formation of skin tumors in mice was evaluated in a complete carcinogenesis model using 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) as the carcinogen. Twice weekly topical application of 0.25-0.50 nmol of 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 or 0.05-0.10 nmol of the difluoro analog of 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 1 hour prior to treatment with 50 nmol DMBA stimulated tumor formation several fold compared to animals receiving DMBA alone. Topical application of 0.50 nmol of 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 24 hours after treatment with DMBA, or half of this dose of the vitamin D3 metabolite, applied 1 hour before and 24 hours after treatment with DMBA, also stimulated tumor formation several fold. These results are in marked contrast to the potent inhibitory effect of 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 and its difluoro analog on the formation of skin tumors in mice promoted by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗

Inhibition of the mutagenicity of bay-region diol-epoxides of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by tannic acid, hydroxylated anthraquinones and hydroxylated cinnamic acid derivatives.

Tannic acid and several hydroxylated anthraquinone and cinnamic acid derivatives inhibited 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. The mutagenic activity of 0.05 nmol of B[a]P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 towards strain TA 100 of Salmonella typhimurium was inhibited 50% by incubation of the bacteria and the diol-epoxide with tannic acid (0.5 nmol), anthraflavic acid (7 nmol), rufigallol (7 nmol), quinalizarin (10 nmol), alizarin (30 nmol), purpurin (60 nmol), and danthron (88 nmol). Dose-dependent, but weaker antimutagenic activity was observed for quinizarin, and a number of hydroxylated cinamic acid derivatives. Gallic acid and m-digallic acid, major components of tannic acid, possessed less than 1% of the anti-mutagenic activity of tannic acid, although m-digallic acid was over 3 times more active than gallic acid. The anti-mutagenic activity of tannic acid was a result of its interaction with B[a]P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 since the rate of disappearance of the diol-epoxide from cell-free solutions in 1:9dioxane:water was markedly stimulated by the polyphenol. Tannic acid was a highly potent inhibitor of the mutagenic activity of the bay-region diol-epoxides of benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]pyrene and dibenzo[a,i]pyrene, but higher concentrations of tannic acid 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 benz[c]phenanthrene.

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

Effect of ellagic acid and hydroxylated flavonoids on the tumorigenicity of benzo[a]pyrene and (+/-)-7 beta, 8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene on mouse skin and in the newborn mouse.

Ellagic acid, quercetin and robinetin were tested for their ability to antagonize the tumor-initiating activity of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and (+/-)-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), the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of benzo[a]-pyrene. Ellagic acid, robinetin or quercetin (2500 nmol) had no tumor-initiating activity on mouse skin, but the topical application of 2500 nmol of ellagic acid 5 min before a tumor-initiating dose of 200 nmol of B[a]P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 caused a 59-66% inhibition in the number of skin tumors per mouse that were observed after 15-20 weeks of promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Similar treatment with 2500 nmol of robinetin or quercetin caused a statistically insignificant 16-24% inhibition in the tumor-initiating activity of 200 nmol of B[a]P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 applied 5 min later. Treatment of mice with 2500 nmol of ellagic acid 5 min before the application of 50 nmol of B[a]P inhibited the mean number of skin tumors per mouse by 28-33% after 15-20 weeks of promotion, but these decreases were not statistically significant. Robinetin and quercetin had little or no effect on the tumor-initiating activity of B[a]P on mouse skin. Treatment of preweanling mice with 1/7, 2/7 and 4/7 of the total dose of ellagic acid (300 nmol), robinetin (1400 nmol), myricetin (1400 nmol) or quercetin (1400 nmol) i.p. on their first, eighth and fifteenth day of life, respectively, did not cause the formation of tumors in animals that were killed 9-11 months later. Similar treatment of preweanling mice with the above doses of the phenolic compounds 10 min before the i.p. injection of a total dose of 30 nmol of B[a]P 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-2 during the animal's first 15 days of life caused a 44-75% inhibition in the number of diol-epoxide-induced pulmonary tumors per mouse. Similar treatment with these plant phenols had little or no effect on B[a]P-induced pulmonary tumors.

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

Inhibition and stimulation of enflurane metabolism in the rat following a single dose or chronic administration of ethanol.

The effects of a single oral dose or chronic ingestion of ethanol on in vivo and in vitro metabolism of enflurane were studied in Fischer 344 rats. At various intervals after ethanol treatment, enflurane was administered ip and 1 h after enflurane administration fluoride and ethanol levels were measured in plasma and hepatic microsomes were prepared. The concentration of ethanol in plasma (+/- SE) was 0.138 +/- 0.035% at 9 h after the single dose of ethanol and decreased almost to control levels by 17 h. The hepatic microsomal defluorination of enflurane was enhanced 3.5-fold and 6.3-fold at 9 and 25 h after the ethanol dose and returned to the control level by 33 h. In vivo defluorination was inhibited almost completely at 8 h after the ethanol dose, increased to 3.4 times the control level at 24 h, and decreased to the control level by 32 h. At 1 h after the end of chronic ethanol treatment, the concentration of ethanol in plasma was 0.254 +/- 0.018%, and it decreased to the control level by 9 h. Hepatic microsomal enflurane defluorinating activity was increased 10.5-fold at 1 h after the end of chronic treatment and decreased to the control level by 13 h. Immediately following chronic treatment, enflurane defluorination in vivo was almost totally inhibited. It increased to 9.3 times the control level at 4 h after chronic treatment was stopped and then decreased to nearly the control level at 12 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alcoholism↗

Nutrient regulation of chemical metabolism in humans.

Dietary protein, carbohydrate, cruciferous vegetables, and charcoal-broiled beef can markedly alter the patterns of chemical biotransformations in normal subjects. The specific nutritional factors capable of altering the metabolism of drugs and the range of chemicals, including hormones, whose metabolism can be altered by diet in humans merit further study because they have the potential to influence the biological impact of these substances in humans.

Animals↗

Interindividual differences in the metabolism of xenobiotics.

Substantial interindividual differences occur for the metabolism of drugs, carcinogens, and steroid hormones, and these person-to-person differences are caused by genetic and environmental factors. It is likely that interindividual differences in the metabolism of xenobiotics and steroid hormones play a role in explaining interindividual differences in the initiation and progression of some human cancers. Factors that influence the metabolism and action of xenobiotics in human beings include age, disease states, hormonal changes in the body, ingestion of medicinal agents, exposure to environmental chemicals, and changes in life style, including factors such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and diet. Some individuals have a much larger response to environmental perturbations than do other individuals, and further research is needed to elucidate the reasons for differences in the responsiveness of people to modulators of chemical biotransformations. Immigration to a new country can represent a substantial change in a person's diet, life style, and environment, and these changes may alter the metabolism of xenobiotics and endogenous hormones that play a role in the carcinogenic response.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Effects of a 6-fluoro substituent on the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol to bay-region diol epoxides by rat liver enzymes.

Metabolism of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydro-6-fluorobenzo(a)pyrene by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats and by a highly purified monooxygenase system, reconstituted with cytochrome P-450c, has been examined. Although both the fluorinated and unfluorinated 7,8-dihydrodiol formed from benzo(a)pyrene by liver microsomes share (R,R)-absolute configuration, the fluorinated dihydrodiol prefers the conformation in which the hydroxyl groups are pseudodiaxial due to the proximate fluorine. The fluorinated 4,5- and 9,10-dihydrodiols are also greater than 97% the (R,R)-enantiomers. For benzo(a)pyrene, metabolism of the (7R,8R)-dihydrodiol to a bay-region 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide in which the benzylic hydroxyl group and epoxide oxygen are trans constitutes the only known pathway to an ultimate carcinogen. With the microsomal and the purified monooxygenase system, this pathway accounts for 76-82% of the total metabolites from the 7,8-dihydrodiol. In contrast, only 32-49% of the corresponding diol epoxide is obtained from the fluorinated dihydrodiol and this fluorinated diol epoxide has altered conformation in that its hydroxyl groups prefer to be pseudodiaxial. Much smaller amounts of the diastereomeric 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxides in which the benzylic hydroxyl groups and the epoxide oxygen are cis are formed from both dihydrodiols. As the fluorinated diol epoxides are weaker mutagens toward bacteria and mammalian cells relative to the unfluorinated diol epoxides, conformation appears to be an important determinant in modulating the biological activity of diol epoxides. One of the more interesting metabolites of 6-fluorinated 7,8-dihydrodiol was a relatively stable arene oxide, probably the 4,5-oxide, which is resistant to the action of epoxide hydrolase.

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

Effect of brussels sprouts and cabbage on drug conjugation.

Ten healthy subjects were fed three diets for 10 days each: a control diet, a cabbage and brussels sprouts--containing diet, and the control diet a second time. Oxazepam was taken on day 7 and acetaminophen on day 10 of each dietary regimen. The test diet stimulated the metabolism of acetaminophen, at least in part by enhanced glucuronidation, as evidenced by a 16% decrease in mean plasma AUC, a 17% increase in mean metabolic clearance rate, an increased ratio of acetaminophen glucuronide to acetaminophen in plasma from 1 to 11 hr after drug and an 8% increase in mean 24-hr urinary recovery of acetaminophen glucuronide, which returned toward control when the subjects were fed the control diet a second time. There were no comparable changes in the metabolism of acetaminophen to acetaminophen sulfate. When the subjects ate the test diet, 24-hr urinary recovery of the cysteine conjugate and of 3-methoxyacetaminophen sulfate, end-products of minor oxidative pathways, the former involving a toxic intermediate, decreased 13% and 22%. Cabbage and brussels sprouts induced a 17% decrease in mean plasma AUC and a 19% increase in mean metabolic clearance rate for oxazepam, but there was no change in mean plasma t1/2 for this drug, nor was there a change in ratio in plasma of oxazepam glucuronide to oxazepam.

Acetaminophen↗

Caffeic and ferulic acid as blockers of nitrosamine formation.

Caffeic acid and ferulic acid, which are naturally occurring phenols present in a wide variety of plants, were examined for their ability to react with nitrite in vitro and to inhibit nitrosamine formation in vivo. Their activities were compared with other phenols (butylated hydroxyanisole and Trolox) and with a non-phenolic polyhydroxylated compound, glycerol guaiacolate. In simulated gastric fluid, caffeic acid and ferulic acid reacted rapidly and completely with an equimolar quantity of sodium nitrite. In rats receiving aminopyrine and nitrite, caffeic acid and ferulic acid blocked the elevation of serum N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) levels and the serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase levels associated with hepatotoxicity. Neither phenol had any effect on serum levels of NDMA in rats treated with NDMA. In both the in vitro (reaction with nitrite) and in vivo (inhibition of hepatotoxicity) systems, caffeic acid was more effective than ferulic acid. Butylated hydroxyanisole and Trolox were partially effective, and glycerol guaiacolate was inactive. The results of this study suggest that dietary caffeic acid and ferulic acid may play a role in the body's defense against carcinogenesis by inhibiting the formation of N-nitroso compounds.

Alanine Transaminase↗

Effects of parenteral nutritional regimens on oxidative drug metabolism.

To determine whether the caloric source of intravenous nutrition can influence oxidative drug metabolizing capacity, antipyrine metabolism was studied in six healthy volunteers, who were taking no food or liquid by mouth, after they had been administered an intravenous nutritional regimen of 5% dextrose, 440 kcal/day, for 4 days and after they had been switched to an essentially isocaloric intravenous nutritional regimen of amino acids ( Aminosyn 3.5%) for 1 day. The change in intravenous nutritional regimen resulted in a 21% decrease in mean half-life (range: 3-32%), a 20% decrease in mean area under the concentration-time curve (range: 4-42%), and a 24% increase in mean metabolic clearance rate (range: 2-71%) for antipyrine. These results show that the change from intravenous dextrose to intravenous amino acids for only 1 day produced in all subjects an increase in antipyrine metabolism. Interestingly, there was marked variability in the responsiveness of the different subjects to the change in intravenous caloric source.

Amino Acids↗

The influence of dietary protein and carbohydrate on the principal oxidative biotransformations of estradiol in normal subjects.

Dietary protein, when substituted for carbohydrate or fat, can increase cytochrome P-450-dependent drug oxidation rates in humans. Endogenous estrogens, as well as drugs, are also metabolized by cytochrome P-450 and other enzymes in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum. Therefore, it was of interest to determine whether variations in diet can alter the major metabolic pathways for estrogens, as assessed by radiometric methods. Eight normal men were fed a high protein diet (44% of calories as protein, and 35% as carbohydrate for 2 weeks), followed by a high carbohydrate diet (70% of calories as carbohydrate and 10% as protein) for an additional 2 weeks. The fat and total energy contents of the two diets were equal. The percent oxidation of [2-3H]estradiol, measured as 3H2O released, which is an in vivo measure of 2-hydroxylation of endogenous estrogen, was greater in all eight men during the high protein dietary period than during the high carbohydrate dietary period (44 +/- 3% and 33 +/- 3%, respectively, means +/- SE, P less than 0.005). In contrast, 16 alpha-hydroxylation of estrogen, as measured using [16 alpha-3H]estradiol, did not change significantly. Our findings demonstrate that dietary components can alter estradiol oxidation in humans and that the 2- and 16 alpha-hydroxylases for estrogen are under separate regulatory control. The influences of specific nutrients on estrogen metabolism may have potential significance for diseases in which these hormones may play a role in clinical expression.

Antipyrine↗

In vitro and in vivo activation of oxidative drug metabolism by flavonoids.

Several naturally occurring and synthetic flavonoids were studied for their effects on the metabolism of zoxazolamine to 6-hydroxyzoxazolamine. Flavone, nobiletin, tangeretin and 7,8-benzoflavone (50-250 microM) stimulated the metabolism of zoxazolamine by liver microsomes obtained from 5-day-old rats. Evidence was obtained indicating that flavone changed the apparent Km and Vmax values for zoxazolamine hydroxylation. The i.p. administration of 5 mumol of flavone, nobiletin, tangeretin or 7,8-benzoflavone concurrently with 740 nmol of zoxazolamine immediately stimulated the total body metabolism of zoxazolamine to 6-hydroxyzoxazolamine. The magnitude of the flavone-mediated increases in zoxazolamine hydroxylation in vivo was dependent on the dose of flavone and the dose of zoxazolamine administered. The i.p. administration of 5 mumol of flavone caused a 3- to 5-fold stimulation in the in vivo metabolism of 740 to 3000 nmol of zoxazolamine, but flavone had little or no stimulatory effect when 74 nmol of zoxazolamine were administered. Flavone stimulated zoxazolamine metabolism both in vitro and in vivo when control or phenobarbital-treated rats were used, but flavone inhibited the in vitro and in vivo hydroxylation of zoxazolamine when rats induced with 5,6-benzoflavone were studied. Although flavone activated zoxazolamine metabolism in vivo in neonatal rats, flavone did not activate the in vivo metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene. The in vitro addition of the hydroxylated flavonoids apigenin, chrysin, fisetin, morin and quercetin inhibited the hydroxylation of zoxazolamine by liver microsomes from neonatal rats, but studies with quercetin and apigenin indicated that these flavonoids had no effect on the in vivo metabolism of zoxazolamine.

Animals↗

Mutagenicity of the enantiomers of the diastereomeric bay-region benzo(c)phenanthrene 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides in bacterial and mammalian cells.

The mutagenic activities of the enantiomers of the pair of diastereomeric bay-region benzo(c)phenanthrene 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides were evaluated in histidine-dependent strains of Salmonella typhimurium and in an 8-azaguanine-sensitive Chinese hamster cell line. In strains TA 98 and TA 100 of S. typhimurium, the range in mutagenic activity observed for the four optically active isomers was less than 4- and 2-fold, respectively. The diol-epoxide with (1S,2R,3R,4S) absolute configuration and the benzylic hydroxyl group trans to the epoxide oxygen [(+)-diol epoxide-2] was the most active isomer in both strains. The enantiomeric (-)-diol-epoxide-2 isomer, with (1R,2S,3S,4R) absolute configuration identical to that of the exceptionally tumorigenic (+)-diol-epoxide-2 isomers of benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, and chrysene, was the least active isomer in strain TA 98 (27%) and the second most active isomer in strain TA 100 (90%). In Chinese hamster V79 cells (-)-diol-epoxide-2 was the most active of the four benzo(c)phenanthrene isomers, and a 4- to 5-fold range in mutagenic activity was observed. The differences in mutagenic activity between the four bay-region diol-epoxide isomers of benzo(c)phenanthrene in the three test systems are relatively small when compared with results from similar studies with optically active bay-region diol-epoxide isomers of three other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and may be explicable, in part, by a tendency of the hydroxyl groups of benzo(c)phenanthrene diol-epoxides to adopt comparable pseudodiequatorial conformations.

Animals↗

Tumorigenicity of dihydrodiols and diol-epoxides of benz[c]acridine in newborn mice.

The tumorigenicity of benz[c]acridine (B[c]ACR) and a number of its derivatives, including the five metabolically possible transdihydrodiols, the diastereomeric bay-region diol-epoxides, two non-bay-region diol-epoxides, and the K-region 5,6-oxide, were assessed in newborn mice. A total dose of 0.50 or 1.05 mumol of compound was administered i.p. to preweanling mice, and tumorigenic activity was determined when the mice were 33 to 37 weeks old. B[c]ACR was a weak carcinogen producing an average of 2.5 lung tumors/mouse and 0.15 liver tumor/male mouse at the 1.05-mumol dose. Of the five metabolically possible trans-dihydrodiols of B[c]ACR, only trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydro-B[c] ACR (B[c]ACR (B[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol) had high tumorigenic activity. B[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol induced 2- and 10-fold more pulmonary and hepatic tumors, respectively, than did the parent compound while the trans-1,2-, 5,6-, 8,9-, and 10,11-dihydrodiols had very little or no tumorigenic activity. Both of the diastereomeric bay-region 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides, in which the epoxide oxygen is either cis (isomer 1) or trans (isomer 2) to the benzylic hydroxyl group, had tumorigenic activity. Isomer 2 was the most tumorigenic derivative tested, inducing at least 60, 7, and 12 times more lung tumors per mouse than did isomer 1, B[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol and B[c]ACR, respectively. The K-region 5,6-oxide and two non-bay-region diol-epoxides (isomer 2 of B[c]ACR 8,9-diol-10,11-epoxide and B[c]ACR 10,11-diol-8,9-epoxide) were weakly active or inactive at the dose tested. The demonstration that B[c]ACR 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxide-2 is exceptionally tumorigenic and that its metabolic precursor, B[c]ACR 3,4-dihydrodiol, is more active than the parent hydrocarbon, B[c]ACR, support the concept that isomer 2 of the bay-region diol-epoxide may be an ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of B[c]ACR.

Acridines↗

High stereoselectivity among the optical isomers of the diastereomeric bay-region diol-epoxides of benz(a)anthracene in the expression of tumorigenic activity in murine tumor models.

The tumorigenicity of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of the diastereomeric bay-region benz(a)anthracene 3,4-diol-1,2-epoxides was evaluated in two mouse tumor models. In an initiation-promotion experiment on mouse skin, a single topical application of 0.1 or 0.4 mumol of the benz(a)anthracene diol-epoxides was followed by 25 weeks of promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Of the four isomers of the bay-region diol-epoxides, only (+)-[1R,2S,3S,4R]-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4- tetrahydrobenz(a)anthracene [(+)-diol-epoxide-2] and (+)-[1R,2S,3S,4S]-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4- tetrahydrobenz(a)anthracene [(+)-diol-epoxide-1] had significant tumor-initiating activity. (+)-Diol-epoxide-2 was approximately 4-fold more active as a tumor initiator on mouse skin than was (+)-diolepoxide-1 at both doses tested. In newborn mice, a total of 0.14 mumol of compound, divided into three doses, was administered i.p. on the first, eighth, and fifteenth day of life, and tumorigenic activity was determined when the mice were 26 to 32 weeks of age. As was observed in the initiation-promotion experiment on mouse skin, only two of the four optical isomers of the bay-region diol-epoxides produced a significant tumor incidence. (+)-Diol-epoxide-2 induced a 100% incidence of lung tumors, with an average of 23.11 tumors/mouse, and was at least 60-fold more active (average number of tumors per mouse) than was (+)-diol-epoxide-1, which produced a 31% lung tumor incidence and 0.38 lung tumors/mouse. (+)-Diol-epoxide-2 was the only optical isomer that induced a significant incidence of hepatic tumors in male mice (31% incidence, 1.17 tumors/mouse). The highly tumorigenic (+)-diol-epoxide-2 isomer with [R,S,S,R] absolute configuration has the same absolute configuration as does the highly tumorigenic isomer of the bay-region diol-epoxides of benzo(a)pyrene and chrysene.

Animals↗

1 alpha, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 inhibits phorbol ester-dependent chemical carcinogenesis in mouse skin.

The effect of topical application of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3) on the promotional phase of skin tumor formation in mice was evaluated using 7,12-dimethylbenz [a] anthracene as the tumor initiator and 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) as the tumor promoter. Fifteen weeks of twice weekly topical application of 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 1 hour prior to topical treatment with 16 nmol of TPA inhibited tumor formation in a dose-dependent manner. Doses of 0.25-0.50 nmol of the vitamin D3 metabolite inhibited tumor formation approximately 50% and had no significant effect on the survival or weight gain of the mice. These results indicate that in addition to maintaining calcium homeostasis and affecting the growth and differentiation of certain neoplastic cells, 1 alpha, 25-(OH)2D3 can also suppress the formation of chemically induced tumors.

Administration, Topical↗

Metabolism of benzo[c]phenanthrene by rat liver microsomes and by a purified monooxygenase system reconstituted with different isozymes of cytochrome P-450.

Metabolism of the environmental pollutant and weak carcinogen benzo[c]-phenanthrene (B[c]Ph) by rat liver microsomes and by a purified and reconstituted cytochrome P-450 system is examined. B[c]Ph proved to be one of the best polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon substrates for rat liver microsomes. It is metabolized by microsomes from control rats and by rats treated with phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene at 3.9, 4.2 and 7.8 nmol/nmol cytochrome P-450/min, respectively. Principal metabolites are dihydrodiols along with small amounts (less than 10%) of phenols. The K-region 5,6-dihydrodiol is the major metabolite and accounts for 77-89% of the total metabolites. The 3,4-dihydrodiol with a bay-region 1,2-double bond is formed in much smaller amounts and accounts for only 6-17% of the total metabolites, the highest percentage being formed by microsomes from control rats. Highly purified monooxygenase systems reconstituted with cytochrome P-450a, P-450b and P-450c and epoxide hydrolase form predominantly the 5,6-dihydrodiol (95-97% of total metabolites) and only a small percentage of the 3,4-dihydrodiol (3-5% of total metabolites). The 3,4-dihydrodiol is formed with higher enantiomeric purity by microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats (88%) than by microsomes from control rats (78%) or phenobarbital-treated rats (60%). In each case the (3R,4R)-enantiomer predominates. B[c]Ph 5,6-dihydrodiol formed by all three microsomal preparations is nearly racemic.

Animals↗