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Role of p53 tumor suppressor gene in the toxicity of TCDD, endrin, naphthalene, and chromium (VI) in liver and brain tissues of mice.

It has been postulated that tumor suppressor genes are involved in the cascade of events leading to the toxicity of diverse xenobiotics. Therefore, we have assessed the comparative effects of 0.01, 0.10, and 0.50 median lethal doses (LD(50)) of 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), endrin, naphthalene, and sodium dichromate (VI) [Cr(VI)] on lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation, and enhanced production of superoxide anion (cytochrome c reduction) in liver and brain tissues of p53-deficient and standard C57BL/6NTac mice to determine the role of p53 gene in the toxic manifestations produced by these diverse xenobiotics. In general, p53-deficient mice are more susceptible to all four xenobiotics than C57BL/6NTac mice, with dose-dependent effects being observed. Specifically, at a 0.50 LD(50) dose, naphthalene and Cr(VI) induced the greatest toxicity in the liver tissue of mice, and naphthalene and endrin exhibited the greatest effect in the brain tissue. At this dose, TCDD, endrin, naphthalene, and Cr(VI) induced 2.3- to 3.7-fold higher increases in hepatic lipid peroxidation and 1.8- to 3.0-fold higher increases in brain lipid peroxidation in p53-deficient mice than in C57BL/6NTac mice. At a 0. 10 LD(50) dose, TCDD, endrin, naphthalene, and Cr(VI) induced 1.3- to 1.8-fold higher increases in hepatic lipid peroxidation and 1.4- to 1.9-fold higher increases in brain lipid peroxidation in p53-deficient mice than in C57BL/6NTac mice. Similar results were observed with respect to DNA fragmentation and cytochrome c reduction (superoxide anion production). For example, at the 0.10 LD(50) dose, the four xenobiotics induced increases of 1.6- to 3. 0-fold and 1.5- to 2.1-fold in brain and liver DNA fragmentation, respectively, and increases of 1.5- to 2.3-fold and 1.4- to 2.5-fold in brain and liver cytochrome c reduction (superoxide anion production), respectively, in p53-deficient mice compared with control C57BL/6NTac mice. These results suggest that the p53 tumor suppressor gene may play a role in the toxicity of structurally diverse xenobiotics.

Animals↗

Characterization of Rhodococcus opacus R7, a strain able to degrade naphthalene and o-xylene isolated from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.

Rhodococcus opacus R7 was isolated from a soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for its ability to grow on naphthalene. The strain was also able to degrade o-xylene, the isomer of xylenes most recalcitrant to microbial degradation. The catabolic pathways for naphthalene and o-xylene were investigated by identification of metabolites in R. opacus R7 cultures performed with the two hydrocarbons and by evaluation of some enzymes involved in the metabolism of these compounds. 1,2-Dihydro-1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, salicylic and gentisic acids were identified as metabolites in cultures exposed to naphthalene. This suggests that the degradation occurs through the dioxygenation of the aromatic ring with the formation of 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, dehydrogenated to the corresponding 1,2-dihydroxy derivative which is further oxidized to salicylic acid, a key intermediate of naphthalene metabolism; this compound is converted to gentisic acid cleaved by a gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase. From R. opacus R7 cultures supplied with o-xylene, 2,3-dimethylphenol and 3,4-dimethylcatechol were observed. The pathway of o-xylene involves the monooxygenation of the benzene nucleus leading to dimethylphenol which is further metabolised to 3,4-dimethylcatechol, followed by a meta cleavage reaction, catalyzed by the catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. R. opacus R7 is the first strain thus far described both in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria which has the ability to degrade both a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon such as naphthalene and a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon such as o-xylene.

Gentisates↗

Biodegradation of non-desorbable naphthalene in soils.

The degradation of naphthalene was studied in soil-slurry systems, and a quantitative model was developed to evaluate the bioavailability of sorbed-phase contaminant. Four soils with different organic matter contents were used as sorbents. Two naphthalene-degrading organisms, Pseudomonas putida G7 and NCIB 9816-4, were also selected. Sorption isotherms and single and series dilution desorption studies were conducted to evaluate distribution coefficients, desorption parameters, and the amount of non-desorbable naphthalene. Biodegradation kinetics were measured in soil extract solutions and rate parameters estimated. Bioavailability assays involved establishing sorption equilibrium, inoculating the systems with organisms, and measuring naphthalene concentrations in both sorbed and dissolved phases over time. For all four soils, the sorption isotherms were linear, and desorption could be described by a model involving three types of sites: equilibrium, nonequilibrium, and non-desorption. Enhanced bioavailability, as evidenced by faster than expected degradation rates based on liquid-phase concentrations, were observed in soils with the higher sorption distribution coefficients. These observations could be described using model formulations that included solid-phase degradation. In all soils studied, degradation of non-desorbable naphthalene was observed.

Absorption↗

Adsorption and transport of gas-phase naphthalene on micron-size fog droplets in air.

Aromatic hydrocarbon vapors adsorb to the air/water interface and are transported by wet deposition processes via fog, mist, and rain. A falling droplet apparatus was used to study the adsorption and uptake of naphthalene vapor on water droplets with diameters ranging from 14 to 200 microm. Uptake of naphthalene vapor greater than that predicted by bulk (air-water) phase equilibrium was noted for diameters less than 50 microm and was attributed to surface adsorption. The experimental values of the droplet-vapor partition constants were used to obtain the mass accommodation coefficient for naphthalene at the interface. The effect of temperature on the mass accommodation coefficientwas measured. The effects of a synthetic surfactant and a natural organic carbon surrogate (Suwanee Fulvic acid) on the uptake of naphthalene vapors on water droplets were also examined. Small droplet diameter, decreased temperature, and the presence of dissolved surface-active material in water enhanced the uptake of naphthalene into fog droplets.

Adsorption↗

Direct volatilization of naphthalene to the atmosphere at a phytoremediation site.

Phytoremediation systems are known to reduce groundwater contamination by at least three major mechanisms: plant uptake, phytovolatilization, and enhanced rhizosphere bioremediation. The potential for such systems to enhance a fourth remediation pathway--direct surface volatilization of contaminants through the subsurface and into the atmosphere-has not yet been investigated in the field. A vertical flux chamber was used to measure direct surface volatilization of naphthalene over nine months at a creosote-contaminated site in Oneida, Tennessee, where a phytoremediation system of poplar trees was installed in 1997. A maximum flux of 23 microg m(-2) h(-1) was measured in August 2004, and naphthalene removal by the direct volatilization pathway is estimated to be 50 g yr(-1) at this site. Results suggest that direct volatilization fluxes are most strongly affected by the groundwater level (thickness of the saturated zone), soil moisture, and changes in atmospheric pressure. At this site, transpiration and canopy interception resulting from the phytoremediation system significantly reduce the saturated thickness, increasing the vertical concentration gradient of naphthalene in the groundwater and thus increasing the upward diffusive flux of naphthalene through the subsurface. The presence of the trees, therefore, promotes direct volatilization into the atmosphere. This research represents the first known measurement of naphthalene attenuation by the direct volatilization pathway.

Air Pollutants↗

Characterization of a structurally intact in situ lung model and comparison of naphthalene protein adducts generated in this model vs lung microsomes.

Airway epithelial cells are a susceptible site for injury by ambient air toxicants such as naphthalene that undergo P450-dependent metabolic activation. The metabolism of naphthalene in Clara cells to reactive intermediates that bind covalently to proteins correlates with cell toxicity. Although several proteins adducted by reactive naphthalene metabolites were identified in microsomal incubations, new methods that maintain the structural integrity of the lung are needed to examine protein targets. Therefore, we developed a method that involves inflation of the lungs via the trachea with medium containing (14)C-naphthalene followed by incubation in situ. The viability of this preparation is supported by maintenance of glutathione levels, rates of naphthalene metabolism, and exclusion of ethidium homodimer-1 from airway epithelium. Following in situ incubation, the levels of adduct per milligram of protein were measured in proteins obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage, epithelial cells, and remaining lung. The levels of adducted proteins obtained in lavage and epithelial cells were similar and were 20-fold higher than those in residual lung tissue. (14)C-Labeled adducted proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and quadrupole-TOF MS/MS. Major adducted proteins include cytoskeletal proteins, proteins involved in folding and translocation, ATP synthase, extracellular proteins, redox proteins, and selenium binding proteins. We conclude that in situ incubation maintains structural integrity of the lung while allowing examination of reactive intermediate activation and interaction with target cell proteins of the lung. The proteins adducted and identified from in situ incubations were not the same proteins identified from microsomal incubations.

Animals↗

Naphthalene and anthracene mineralization linked to oxygen, nitrate, Fe(III) and sulphate reduction in a mixed microbial population.

A microbial consortium from a mixture of garden soil and an enrichment of a coal-tar contaminated sediment mineralized naphthalene and anthracene when oxygen, nitrate, Fe(III) (soluble and insoluble) or sulphate were provided as terminal electron acceptors (TEAs). Rates of polyaromatic hydrocarbon disappearance and mineralization were similar in the presence of oxygen and nitrate, and slower with the other TEAs. A maximum mineralization of 37.5% naphthalene and 8.5% anthracene occurred in 30 and 160 days respectively when oxygen was provided as the TEA. On the other hand, only 9.5% naphthalene and 3.2% anthracene were mineralized in 42 and 160 days respectively with FeOOH. Mineralization occurred only when a TEA was provided and ceased when the naphthalene concentration decreased to non-detectable levels (less than 0.008 micromoles/L), as measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. CH4 was not detected in the headspace of any microcosm. These results showed that mineralization of polyaromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene and anthracene can be linked to wide range of TEAs demonstrating that intrinsic polyaromatic hydrocarbon bioremediation is possible if any of these TEAs were available.

Anthracenes↗

The nongenotoxic carcinogens naphthalene and para-dichlorobenzene suppress apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Naphthalene (1) and para-dichlorobenzene (PDCB, 2), which are widely used as moth repellents and air fresheners, cause cancer in rodents and are potential human carcinogens. However, their mechanisms of action remain unclear. Here we describe a novel method for delivering and screening hydrophobic chemicals in C. elegans and apply this technique to investigate the ways in which naphthalene and PDCB may promote tumorigenesis in mammals. We show that naphthalene and PDCB inhibit apoptosis in C. elegans, a result that suggests a cellular mechanism by which these chemicals may promote the survival and proliferation of latent tumor cells. In addition, we find that a naphthalene metabolite directly inactivates caspases by oxidizing the active site cysteine residue; this suggests a molecular mechanism by which these chemicals suppress apoptosis. Naphthalene and PDCB are the first small-molecule apoptosis inhibitors identified in C. elegans. The power of C. elegans molecular genetics, in combination with the possibility of carrying out large-scale chemical screens in this organism, makes C. elegans an attractive and economic animal model for both toxicological studies and drug screens.

Animals↗

Genetics of naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation by Comamonas testosteroni.

Naphthalene and phenanthrene have long been used as model compounds to investigate the ability of bacteria to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The catabolic pathways have been determined, several of the enzymes have been purified to homogeneity, and genes have been cloned and sequenced. However, the majority of this work has been performed with fast growing Pseudomonas strains related to the archetypal naphthalene-degrading P. putida strains G7 and NCIB 9816-4. Recently Comamonas testosteroni strains able to degrade naphthalene and phenanthrene have been isolated and shown to possess genes for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation that are different from the canonical genes found in Pseudomonas species. For instance, C. testosteroni GZ39 has genes for naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation which are not only different from those found in Pseudomonas species but are also arranged in a different configuration. C. testosteroni GZ42, on the other hand, has genes for naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation which are arranged almost the same as those found in Pseudomonas species but show significant divergence in their sequences.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Effect of vitamin E eye drops on naphthalene-induced cataract in rats.

The effect of vitamin E acetate (VEA) eye drops on naphthalene-induced cataract in rats was investigated by Scheimpflug image analysis. The control group was administered only naphthalene (1 g/kg), while the other group was additionally given 1% VEA eye drops into both eyes 5 times a day every day for 9 weeks from the start of naphthalene treatment. During those 9 weeks, the changes of the crystalline lens were documented by an anterior eye segment analysis system (EAS-1000, NIDEK) once a week in mydriasis (Mydrin-P, Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.). The characteristic density values of the anterior deeper cortex regions were measured. The light scattering intensity of lenses from VEA eye drop-treated animals was significantly lower than that of animals without VEA treatment. This difference was found 1 week, 4 weeks, and from 7 to 9 weeks after the start of naphthalene application. VEA eye drops may have the potential to delay the progression of naphthalene-induced cataract in rats.

Animals↗

Association of naphthalene with acute hemolytic anemia.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence and severity of naphthalene-associated hemolysis (NA1) and infection-associated hemolysis (IAH) in children with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6-PD) deficiency. To survey the rationale for naphthalene-containing moth repellent (mothball) use in the study population and to compare this with that of a more diverse population. METHODS: A ten-year retrospective chart review of 160 patients with G-6-PD deficiency and/or anemia and an analysis of 24 hospitalized African-American children with an episode of acute hemolysis associated with G-6-PD deficiency were conducted. The parents of 330 children cared for in the pediatric emergency departments (EDs) of two tertiary care centers were questioned regarding domestic mothball (naphthalene) use. RESULTS: Fourteen of 24 (58.3%) of the children identified with G-6-PD deficiency presented with hemolysis associated with exposure to naphthalene-containing moth repellents. The remaining ten had IAH. Seventy-nine percent of the NAH group required transfusion, compared with 60% of the IAH group. Mothballs were reportedly used by 27% of the families surveyed in one inner-city population with a 2-13% incidence of G-6-PD deficiency and by 15% in a more culturally diverse city. The main reported motivation for use was the fresh scent, not as a moth repellent. CONCLUSIONS: Mothballs are used for previously unrecognized reasons. Naphthalene-containing mothballs can pose a hematologic threat to vulnerable populations.

Acute Disease↗

Effect of 2-hydroxybenzoate on the maintenance of naphthalene-degrading pseudomonads in seeded and unseeded soil.

The addition of specific nontoxic inducers of catabolic operons to contaminated sites is an approach that may enhance the efficiency of in situ biodegradation. We determined the genetic response of six pseudomonads to salicylate (also known as 2-hydroxybenzoate) added directly to 50 g of nonsterile soil samples. The strains, isolated from a polyaromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, metabolized naphthalene as the sole source of available carbon, and their DNA sequences show significant homology to the nahAB genes of the degradative plasmid NAH7. Duplicate nonsterile soil cultures were incubated for up to 30 days. Experimental soil cultures were seeded with naphthalene-degrading strains (10(8) CFU g-1) originally isolated from the soil and amended with salicylate (16 or 160 micrograms g-1). Soil samples were analyzed periodically for the population density of heterotrophic bacteria and naphthalene degraders and for the abundance of the naphthalene-degradative genotype in the bacterial community. At 160 micrograms g-1, salicylate sustained the density of naphthalene degraders at the introduced density for 30 days in addition to producing a two- to sixfold increase in the occurrence in the bacterial community of DNA sequences homologous to the nah operon. No change in recoverable bacterial population densities was observed when soil samples were amended with 16 micrograms of salicylate g-1, but this concentration of salicylate induced a significant increase in the level of nah-related genes in the population.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Chemotaxis of Pseudomonas spp. to the polyaromatic hydrocarbon naphthalene.

Two naphthalene-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas putida G7 and Pseudomonas sp. strain NCIB 9816-4, were chemotactically attracted to naphthalene in drop assays and modified capillary assays. Growth on naphthalene or salicylate induced the chemotactic response. P. putida G7 was also chemotactic to biphenyl; other polyaromatic hydrocarbons that were tested did not appear to be chemoattractants for either Pseudomonas strain. Strains that were cured of the naphthalene degradation plasmid were not attracted to naphthalene.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Bacterial chemotaxis to naphthalene desorbing from a nonaqueous liquid.

Bacterial chemotaxis has the potential to increase the rate of degradation of chemoattractants, but its influence on degradation of hydrophobic attractants initially dissolved in a non-aqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) has not been examined. We studied the effect of chemotaxis by Pseudomonas putida G7 on naphthalene mass transfer and degradation in a system in which the naphthalene was dissolved in a model NAPL. Chemotaxis by wild-type P. putida G7 increased the rates of naphthalene desorption and degradation relative to rates observed with nonchemotactic and nonmotile mutant strains. While biodegradation alone influenced the rate of substrate desorption by increasing the concentration gradient against which desorption occurred, chemotaxis created an even steeper gradient as the cells accumulated near the NAPL source. The extent to which chemotaxis affected naphthalene desorption and degradation depended on the initial bacterial and naphthalene concentrations, reflecting the influences of these variables on concentration gradients and on the relative rates of mass transfer and biodegradation. The results of this study suggest that chemotaxis can substantially increase the rates of mass transfer and degradation of NAPL-associated hydrophobic pollutants.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Stable-isotope probing of bacteria capable of degrading salicylate, naphthalene, or phenanthrene in a bioreactor treating contaminated soil.

[13C6]salicylate, [U-13C]naphthalene, and [U-13C]phenanthrene were synthesized and separately added to slurry from a bench-scale, aerobic bioreactor used to treat soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Incubations were performed for either 2 days (salicylate, naphthalene) or 7 days (naphthalene, phenanthrene). Total DNA was extracted from the incubations, the "heavy" and "light" DNA were separated, and the bacterial populations associated with the heavy fractions were examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Unlabeled DNA from Escherichia coli K-12 was added to each sample as an internal indicator of separation efficiency. While E. coli was not detected in most analyses of heavy DNA, a low number of E. coli sequences was recovered in the clone libraries associated with the heavy DNA fraction of [13C]phenanthrene incubations. The number of E. coli clones recovered proved useful in determining the relative amount of light DNA contamination of the heavy fraction in that sample. Salicylate- and naphthalene-degrading communities displayed similar DGGE profiles and their clone libraries were composed primarily of sequences belonging to the Pseudomonas and Ralstonia genera. In contrast, heavy DNA from the phenanthrene incubations displayed a markedly different DGGE profile and was composed primarily of sequences related to the Acidovorax genus. There was little difference in the DGGE profiles and types of sequences recovered from 2- and 7-day incubations with naphthalene, so secondary utilization of the 13C during the incubation did not appear to be an issue in this experiment.

Bacteria↗

Metabolism of naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, salicylate, and benzoate by Pseudomonas PG: regulation of tangential pathways.

Naphthalene is metabolized by Pseudomonas PG through 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene and salicylate to catechol, which is then degraded by the meta pathway. 2-Methylnaphthalene, but not 1-methylnaphthalene, also serves as a growth substrate and is metabolized by the same route, through 4-methylcatechol. The same nonspecific meta pathway enzymes appear to be induced by growth on either naphthalene or 2-methylnaphthalene. The level to which 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde hydrolase is induced is low and probably of no metabolic significance. Growth on salicylate or catechol, both intermediates of naphthalene degradation, or benzoate results in induction of the ortho pathway, the alternative route for catechol dissimilation. No induction of 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene oxygenase was found in salicylate-grown cells. Anaerobic growth on a succinate-nitrate medium in the presence of various inducers indicates that cis, cis-muconate, or one of its metabolites is the inducer of the ortho pathway enzymes. The inducer or inducers of the early enzymes of naphthalene degradation and of the meta pathway enzymes must be an early intermediate of the naphthalene pathway above salicylate.

Adipates↗

Plasmid- and chromosome-mediated dissimilation of naphthalene and salicylate in Pseudomonas putida PMD-1.

Pseudomonas putida PMD-1 dissimilates naphthalene (Nah), salicylate (Sal), and benzoate (Ben) via catechol which is metabolized through the meta (or alpha-keto acid) pathway. The ability to utilize salicylate but not naphthalene was transferred from P. putida PMD-1 to several Pseudomonas species. Agarose gel electrophoresis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from PMD-1 and Sal+ exconjugants indicated that a plasmid (pMWD-1) of 110 megadaltons is correlated with the Sal+ phenotype; restriction enzyme analysis of DNA from Sal+ exconjugants indicated that plasmid pMWD-1 was transmitted intact. Enzyme analysis of Sal+ exconjugants demonstrated that the enzymes required to oxidize naphthalene to salicylate are absent, but salicylate hydroxylase and enzymes of the meta pathway are present. Thus, naphthalene conversion to salicylate requires chromosomal genes, whereas salicylate degradation is plasmid encoded. Comparison of restriction digests of plasmid pMWD-1 indicated that it differs considerably from the naphthalene and salicylate degradative plasmids previously described in P. putida.

Catechol 1,2-Dioxygenase↗

Naphthalene association and uptake in Pseudomonas putida.

Two methods for bacterial membrane transport, filtration and flow dialysis, were used to study cellular association of Pseudomonas putida with naphthalene. It is not technically possible to determine the exact cellular or vesicular location of the naphthalene, and because it is hydrophobic, it could be at the membrane(s) rather than inside the cells. As an index of naphthalene having crossed the inner membrane we used the intracellular formation of its first catabolite. An energized membrane or ATP was not essential for association or movement into the cell. Evidence for a nonspecific association and a movement into cells by simple diffusion are the lack of saturation of association, an absence of inhibition of association by protein inhibitors and structural analogs, and the passage of naphthalene through cell membranes in the presence of iodoacetamide. Specific naphthalene metabolism gene expression was not required for association.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗