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S De Flora

Publications and source records attributed to S De Flora.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Formation of a nitro derivative of 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline by photo-irradiation.

A direct-acting mutagen to Salmonella typhimurium TA98 was found to be formed by exposing 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) in acetone to sunlight for 60 min. The direct-acting mutagen in the irradiated sample was purified by HPLC and identified as 3,4-dimethyl-2-nitroimidazo-[4,5-f]quinoline (NO2-MeIQ). The yield of NO2-MeIQ from MeIQ was estimated to be 0.3%.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1989

Mutagenicity of active oxygen species in bacteria and its enzymatic or chemical inhibition.

The mono-electronic reduction of oxygen in the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system led to the formation of active species eliciting an evident and highly reproducible mutagenic response in strain TA104 of S. typhimurium. Similar effects were observed by generating oxy radicals either extracellularly or inside bacterial cells. Mutagenicity was selectively detected in TA104 and not in other Salmonella strains, which points out the importance of the hisG428 mutation and of the deletion excising the uvrB gene, as far as sensitivity to oxy radicals is concerned. The mutagenicity of the system was further enhanced in the presence of superoxide dismutase. Catalase did not affect the mutagenicity of hypoxanthine plus xanthine oxidase, whereas it inhibited the mutagenicity induced by the mixture of hypoxanthine with xanthine oxidase and superoxide dismutase. This demonstrates that not only hydrogen peroxide but also the superoxide radical anion is positive in this system. Glutathione and 2 synthetic thiols, i.e., N-acetylcysteine and alpha-mercaptopropionylglycine, besides decreasing the high spontaneous mutagenicity of TA104, efficiently prevented the mutagenicity of active oxygen species.

Free Radicals↗
PubMed1989

Mutagenicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fractions extracted from urban air particulates.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fractions, purified from extracts of airborne particles collected in the area of Genoa municipality, were assayed for mutagenicity in the Salmonella/microsome test. PAH fractions accounted for only a portion of the total mutagenic activity and also displayed a different specificity of genetic activity, as compared to unfractionated material. The analysis of 224 samples collected from January 1986 to November 1987 in 10 different localities led to a large number of positive results in strain TA100 with S9 mix and, less frequently, also in TA98 without metabolic activation. Mutagenicity was related to the intensity of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution, and showed some seasonal variations, although it was not possible to discriminate particular sources of pollution on the basis of mutagenicity patterns. The mutagenic potency in TA100 (S9+) of airborne PAH fractions was significantly correlated with the concentration of individual PAHs in most of the monitored localities. The spectrum of mutagenicity of monthly samples pooled from several localities in S. typhimurium strains, with and without S9 mix, provided evidence for some contribution of nitro derivatives of PAHs or possibly also of other compounds present in the same fractions. The results obtained are discussed in view of their predictive value as indicators of potential health hazards, and of the reliability of this biological tool as a complement to chemical analyses in the evaluation of ambient air pollution.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1989

Photoactivation of mutagens.

Solutions of several promutagens or of non-genotoxic carcinogens were exposed to sunlight or to artificial sources of UV or fluorescent light, under various experimental conditions. Irradiation resulted in the oxygen-mediated formation of direct-acting mutagenic and DNA-damaging photoproducts in bacteria, with evident structure-activity relationship. Of the aromatic amines tested, 2-aminofluorene and, with lower efficiency, 2-acetylaminofluorene were photoactivated, whereas irradiation of 4-acetylaminofluorene and of the 1- and 2-amino substitutes of anthracene and naphthalene did not produce mutagenic derivatives in Salmonella typhimurium. Of the heterocyclic amines, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline were extraordinarily sensitive to activation by sunlight and fluorescent light, which contrasted with the insensitivity of the tryptophan pyrolysis products. Use of optical and interference filters showed that near-UV light is the main component of solar radiation responsible for the formation of highly stable mutagenic derivatives. The mutagenicity of 2-aminofluorene and of the aminoimidazoquinoline compounds, following both metabolic and light activation, was lost in nitroreductase- and O-acetyltransferase-dificient bacteria. Benzo[alpha]pyrene was better activated by 254- than by 365-nm UV light. Sunlight did not affect the lack of mutagenicity of carcinogenic organochlorine pesticides, but exposure to 254-nm UV light selectively resulted in the formation of weak mutagens from dieldrin and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene, but not from 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, lacking carbon-carbon double bonds.

DNA Repair↗
PubMed1989

Enhanced metabolic activation of chemical hepatocarcinogens in woodchucks infected with hepatitis B virus.

The metabolism of chemical carcinogens was investigated in liver preparations from 28 captive woodchucks (Marmota monax). Of these, 23 were naturally infected with the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV), and eight also had primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC). Twenty-nine parameters were investigated in liver subcellular fractions, including cross-reactivity with HBsAg, and biochemical parameters, such as gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, cytochrome P-450 and microsomal monooxygenases (aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin deethylases, aminopyrine and dimethylnitrosamine demethylases, and testosterone 7 alpha-, 16 alpha- and 6 beta-hydroxylases), uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase, GSH and related enzymes (peroxidase, reductase and S-transferase), as well as other cytosolic enzyme activities (glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases, NADPH- and NADH-dependent diaphorases, and DT diaphorase). In addition, liver preparations were used in order to quantify the metabolic activation into bacterial mutagens of five procarcinogens (aflatoxin B1, the pyrolysis products Trp-P-2 and MeIQ, 2-aminofluorene and dimethylnitrosamine) and the decrease of potency of three direct-acting mutagens (sodium dichromate, ICR 191 and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide). WHV infection produced a significant stimulation of carcinogen metabolism, as shown by the simultaneous change in detoxification parameters (GSH depletion) and activation indices (enhancement of microsomal monooxygenases and of procarcinogen activation into mutagenic metabolites). There were no significant differences between WHV-positive samples from animals without PHC and the noncancerous tissue of PHC-bearing animals, whereas a decrease of both activation and detoxification indices was recorded in the tumorous tissue. There was a considerable interindividual variability among WHV carriers, which was tentatively ascribed to genetic factors. Pregnancy was the only known factor influencing the results in WHV carriers. However, even by excluding pregnant animals, the effects on carcinogen metabolism produced by WHV infection were still statistically significant. These results, together with previous data obtained in humans, revealed that metabolic factors may play a role in the synergism between viral hepatitis and chemical hepatocarcinogens in the etiopathogenesis of PHC.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Carcinogen metabolism studies in human bronchial and lung parenchymal tissues.

The pulmonary metabolism of xenobiotics was investigated by measuring the glutathione content and the activity of the aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, epoxide hydrolase, glutathione S-transferase, and uridine 5' -diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase enzymes in S-12 fractions of bronchial tree and peripheral lung parenchyma obtained at surgery from 21 patients. In parallel, the same preparations were used to assess either the activation of promutagens, i.e., benzo(a)pyrene, 2-aminofluorene, cyclophosphamide, and a cigarette smoke condensate, to metabolites reverting his- Salmonella typhymurium strains, or the decrease of direct-acting mutagens, i.e., sodium dichromate, 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide, epichlorohydrin, and ICR 191. As compared to bronchus preparations, parenchymal preparations contained considerably higher concentrations of reduced glutathione, had a significantly higher epoxide hydrolase activity, and, as assessed by means of a quantitative index, were more efficient in activating 2-aminofluorene and in reducing the mutagenicity of dichromate and 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide. These data may suggest that parenchymal lung tissue is more capable than bronchial tissue to detoxify reactive intermediates of xenobiotics, possibly explaining the greater susceptibility of bronchi to cigarette smoke-induced cancers.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗
PubMed1988

Mechanisms of inhibitors of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Classification and overview.

The mechanisms of action of inhibitors of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis are reviewed in the light of our present knowledge. The identified mechanisms are classified into several categories and sub-categories, depending on the stage of intervention in the mutagenesis and carcinogenesis processes, and on the patterns of modulation of the host defense devices. Although a number of the known mechanisms fit into the proposed scheme, the available information on these problems is still fragmentary, and often inhibitors act through multiple mechanisms or can interact with other inhibitors. Moreover, due to the double-edged nature of many protective factors of the organism, and to the wide array of biological properties displayed by several inhibitors, the beneficial effects are in many instances counter-balanced by adverse reactions. Nevertheless, the present data-base on mechanisms of inhibitors, which is expected to grow rapidly in the near future, provides an extremely useful scientific premise for the primary prevention of mutation-related diseases. In this prospect, the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms complements the results emerging from the monitoring of protective end-points in mutagenicity and carcinogenicity test systems.

Humans↗
PubMed1988

Influence of DT diaphorase on the mutagenicity of organic and inorganic compounds.

The metabolic activation or detoxification of mutagens and carcinogens of several chemical classes was investigated in the presence of various rat liver and lung subcellular fractions and of dicoumarol, a specific inhibitor of DT diaphorase activity. His- Salmonella typhimurium strains were used as targets of mutagenicity. Dicoumarol partially prevented the metabolic activation of some promutagens, such as the heterocyclic amines 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole, and a cigarette smoke condensate. Moreover, detailed experiments, also using purified enzyme, confirmed the participation of DT diaphorase in the metabolic reduction of 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide 4NQO and of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] compounds. The results obtained provide evidence for broad involvement of DT diaphorase in the metabolism of both organic and inorganic mutagens and carcinogens. Moreover, they suggest a dual role of this enzyme, providing not only a cellular detoxifying system but also, with a few substrates, an activating mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Pulmonary metabolism of mutagens and its relationship with lung cancer and smoking habits.

The S-12 fractions of lung peripheral parenchyma obtained from 80 male individuals, aged 17-71 years, were assayed as blind samples for the ability either to convert promutagens into bacterial mutagens or to decrease the potency of direct-acting mutagens in the Ames reversion test. In this system, lung preparations were completely ineffective in activating an N-nitroso compound (i.e., N-nitrosomorpholine) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [i.e., 3-methylcholanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene] or their metabolites [i.e., 3-hydroxy-benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene-trans-7,8-diol]. They yielded a borderline and sporadic activation of a cigarette smoke condensate, and a weak but frequent activation of an aromatic amine (i.e., 2-aminofluorene), of a heterocyclic amine (i.e., 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] and of a diamide (i.e., cyclophosphamide). The pulmonary metabolism was more oriented in the sense of detoxification, as shown by the consistent decrease of potency of direct-acting mutagens, including a metal (i.e., sodium dichromate), an acridine and nitrogen mustard derivative (i.e., 2-methoxy-6-chloro-9-[3-(2-chloromethyl)aminopropylamino]acridine or ICR 191), an epoxide (i.e., epichlorohydrin) and an N-oxide (i.e., 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide). As assessed by means of a numerical score quantifying the variation of mutagenicity, a marked interindividual variability (up to 20-fold) was detected in the ability of lung specimens to affect the mutagenicity of test compounds. Such variability was not significantly related to the protein concentration of S-12 fractions, nor to the age of the patients under scrutiny, who during hospitalization were on normal institutional diets and did not receive any special drug treatment. The only significant difference between 20 noncancer and 60 lung cancer patients, irrespective of the histological type, was a decreased activation of cyclophosphamide in the latter group. Probably due to the high prevalence of smokers among lung cancer patients, a significantly decreased activation of cyclophosphamide was also observed in the group of smokers. Smoking habits were associated with a stimulation of detoxifying mechanisms which, in agreement with the results of a previous study with human alveolar macrophages (F. L. Petrilli et al., J. Clin. Invest., 77:1917-1924, 1986), was significant in the case of sodium dichromate. Such effect was further enhanced by considering only individuals smoking during the last 24 h before collecting lung specimens, and under these conditions it became significant also for ICR 191.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Metabolism of mutagens and carcinogens in woodchuck liver and its relationship with hepatitis virus infection.

Thirty-six wild-caught woodchucks (Marmota monax) were characterized according to sex, weight, trapping locality, liver pathology, and serum or hepatic markers of woodchuck hepatitis virus. Liver subcellular fractions were assayed for microsomal cytochromes P-450, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, glutathione, cytosolic enzymes involved in its metabolism (glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase), in the hexose monophosphate shunt (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase), NADH- and NADPH-dependent diaphorases, and DT diaphorase. Moreover, liver postmitochondrial fractions were assayed for their ability to activate procarcinogens [i.e., a tryptophan pyrolysate product, aflatoxin B1, 2-aminofluorene, and trans-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene] to mutagenic metabolites in the Ames reversion test and to decrease the activity of direct-acting mutagens [i.e., 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide, 2-methoxy-6-chloro-9-[3-(2-chloroethyl)aminopropylamino]acridine X 2HCl, and sodium dichromate]. A considerable interindividual variability in metabolism was observed among the examined woodchucks. Some of the investigated parameters were more elevated in virus carriers, especially in those suffering from chronic active hepatitis, but only a few of the recorded differences (i.e., oxidized glutathione reductase and NADPH-dependent diaphorase) were statistically significant. The comparison of the monitored activities in woodchucks and in other rodent species (rat and mouse) led to the conclusion that the liver metabolism of mutagens and carcinogens in woodchucks is more oriented in the sense of activation, while detoxification mechanisms are more efficient in rats and mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Circadian reduction of chromium in the gastric environment.

Samples of gastric juice from variously treated subjects efficiently reduced hexavalent chromium and decreased its mutagenicity. Chromium reduction was due to thermostable components of gastric secretions and was favoured by the acidity of the intragastric environment. The circadian monitoring of pH and of chromium reduction, as assessed by colorimetric analysis at hourly intervals, showed a basal activity (less than 10 micrograms/ml gastric juice) during the night and interdigestive periods, and peaks (tens of micrograms/ml) during the 3-4-h periods after each meal. Assays in the Ames reversion test confirmed that the decrease in mutagenicity of sodium dichromate produced by gastric juice was significantly enhanced after meals. This physiological mechanism is expected to provide an important protective barrier against the oral toxicity of this metal, and may explain its lack of oral carcinogenicity.

Chromium↗
PubMed1987

Circadian monitoring of gastric juice mutagenicity.

The circadian monitoring of intragastric pH and of the mutagenicity of 440 gastric juice samples collected hourly from 22 subjects provided evidence that, irrespective of diagnosis and treatment, a weak yet consistent increase in revertants can be detected in his- Salmonella typhimurium strains during the 3-4-h periods following each meal. The recorded mutagenic activity was not related to the histidine content of gastric juice, was due to thermostable components and was not significantly inhibited by administration of vitamin C. Various genetic mechanisms were involved, which were different from those consequent to the artificial supplementation of gastric juice with sodium nitrite. Treatment with a histamine H2-receptor antagonist (famotidine), either at dinner or at bedtime, was followed by a nocturnal plateau of mutagenicity. However, such effect was not due to mutagenicity of the drug or of its derivatives, but to the therapeutic rise in pH associated with its antisecretory activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Relationships between metabolic deactivation of ICR compounds and their differential mutagenicity in bacteria and cultured mammalian cells.

Preparations of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells decreased the genotoxicity of 3 ICR compounds (ICR 191, ICR 191-OH and ICR 170-OH), while they did not affect the genotoxicity of ICR 170 in the Salmonella reversion test nor in a DNA-repair test in E. coli. These data may contribute towards the explanation of the lack of activity of the two hydroxylated compounds in the CHO/HGPRT forward mutation system, as well as the different rank of mutagenicity of the two chloroethyl compounds in bacteria (ICR 191 greater than ICR 170), compared to cultured mammalian cells and in general to eukaryotic cells (ICR 170 greater than ICR 191).

Aminacrine↗