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PubMed1991

Inhibition of glucuronidation of benzo(a)pyrene phenols by long-chain fatty acids.

Long-chain fatty acids inhibit glucuronidation of benzo(a)pyrene phenols in perfused liver; therefore, this study was designed to investigate interactions of fatty acids with beta-glucuronidase, glucuronosyl transferase, and energy supply. In beta-glucuronidase-deficient C3H/He mice, infusion of oleate (250 microM) increased the release of free benzo(a)pyrene phenols from 14 to 33 nmol/g/h and decreased release of glucuronides into the perfusate from 25 to 17 nmol/g/h. Rates of accumulation of glucuronides in the liver were also diminished from 11 to 4 nmol/g/h after infusion of oleate (250 microM). Fatty acids did not affect the release of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites into bile, and the ratio of free phenol to glucuronide production was increased from 0.57 to 1.30. A similar trend was observed in livers from DBA/2 mice that have beta-glucuronidase. Rates of hydrolysis of benzo(a)pyrene-O-glucuronide were not altered in isolated microsomes by addition of oleoyl coenzyme A (CoA) or octanoyl CoA (10- approximately 100 microM). Thus, we conclude that fatty acids do not alter glucuronidation by acting on beta-glucuronidase. The concentration of cofactors (UDP-glucuronic acid, UDP-glucose, and adenine nucleotides) involved in hepatic conjugation was not altered by infusion of concentrations of oleate (300 microM) that inhibited glucuronidation in perfused livers. When oleate concentrations were increased to 600 microM, UDP-glucuronic acid and UDP-glucose decreased 44 and 49%, respectively, and the ATP:ADP ratio declined concomitantly. Oleoyl CoA inhibited UDP-glucuronosyl transferase noncompetitively (half-maximal inhibition, 10 microM) in microsomes with 3-hydroxy-benzo(a)pyrene or p-nitrophenol as substrate. In contrast, octanoyl CoA was a very poor inhibitor of transferase activity. Inhibition of the transferase by oleoyl CoA was increased markedly by treatment with detergents (Triton X-100), i.e., half-inhibition of glucuronosyl transferase was obtained with about 2 microM oleoyl CoA. Inhibition of UDP-glucuronosyl transferase by oleoyl CoA was also increased in a dose-dependent manner by albumin, possibly due to increasing access of the CoA derivative to the enzyme. Collectively, these data indicate that fatty acids diminish glucuronidation via the formation of acyl CoA compounds that inhibit UDP-glucuronosyl transferase noncompetitively.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Detection of mutagenic compounds in the urine of mice administered pyrene during exposure to NO2.

The urine of mice injected intraperitoneally with pyrene during exposure to NO2 was found to contain highly mutagenic compounds by means of the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98. The mice were exposed to 20 ppm NO2 for 3 days before intraperitoneal injection of pyrene (800 mg/kg of body weight). The pyrene-treated mice were further exposed to NO2 for an additional 24 hr, and the urine from the mice was collected in ice-cooled containers and stored frozen in the dark. The collected samples were treated with beta-glucuronidase and passed through activated Sep-Pack C18 cartridges. After elution with methanol, the effluent was concentrated and the residue was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The DMSO solution was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography and the mutagenicity of each fraction was assayed with S. typhimurium strain TA98. The mutagenic compounds 3-hydroxy-1-nitropyrene, 6-hydroxy-1-nitropyrene, 8-hydroxy-1-nitropyrene, and 1-hydroxypyrene were identified in the mutagenic fractions by mass spectrometry and UV-visible spectrophotometry with synthetic reference substances. These mutagenic compounds may have been formed by either nitration of hydroxylated pyrene, or hydroxylation of 1-nitropyrene, which is formed in vivo from pyrene and NO2, or the simultaneous occurrence of these two reactions in the mouse body.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

[Use of pyrene as a luminescence indicator of the viscosity of model and biological membranes].

The pyrene movement in a lipid bilayer has been shown to occur not only in the lateral but also transmembrane direction. Within the excited state lifetime the pyrene monomer elevates from the depth to the polar regions of the membrane and emits a luminescence photon. The excimer does not exhibit any marked transmembrane movement while luminescing from the hydrophobic regions. The luminescence quenching efficiency of monomers and excimers depends on the depth of quencher penetration into the membrane. In the lipid bilayer the pyrene luminescence is strongly quenched by molecular oxygen. The pyrene binding to membrane proteins protects it from quenching. A conclusion has been made that the carrying out estimations of membrane viscosity from pyrene luminescence require considerable correction.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1987

[Repair in the nuclear matrix of DNA damaged by benz(a)pyrene].

The confluent culture of hamster embryo cells was incubated with benzo(a)pyrene for 24 hours. Then the medium was replaced by maximal lacking both the serum and benzo(a)pyrene. The process of DNA repair was observed in four nuclear fractions according to two indexes: the disappearance of metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene covalently bound to DNA and the incorporation of 3H-thymidine to DNA in the period from I min to 72 hours. Hydroxyurea at the concentration of 5 mM was added 2-19 hours before 3H-thymidine. The highest concentration of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites was found in the DNA of nuclear matrix fraction throughout all the experiment. The initial concentration of 3H-thymidine right after its addition into the cell culture medium was the highest in DNA of nuclear matrix fraction and the lowest in DNA fraction soluble in the buffer with low ionic strength. Later on, the concentration of 3H-thymidine was decreased in matrix-bound fractions and increased in other fractions up to the total DNA level. The results suggest that the repair process requires joining of benzo(a)pyrene damaged DNA region to the nuclear matrix with the following reverse transition into the fraction where the fragment was initially located.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene by variant mouse hepatoma cells.

Four mouse hepatoma cell lines, a parent (Hepa-1c1c7) and three variants (MUL12, BPrc1, and TAOc1BPrc1) which had been derived from Hepa-1c1c7 by the fluorescence-activated cell sorter, were incubated with benzo(a)pyrene, and the metabolites were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Among these four cell lines, Hepa-1c1c7 and MUL12 metabolized benzo(a)pyrene the most quickly and to the greatest extent, and BPrc1 had the weakest metabolic activity for this substrate. TAOc1BPrc1 had intermediate benzo(a)pyrene-metabolizing activity, depending on cell density and incubation time. At low cell density, the active variant TAOc1Bprc1 resembled the weakly active Bprc1 in accumulating a low amount of ethyl acetate-soluble metabolites in the medium while, at high cell density, TAOc1Bprc1 resembled the parent clone Hepa-1c1c7 and the highly active variant MUL12. At short incubation times, TAOc1Bprc1 also had low conjugating activity while, at longer incubation times, the conjugating activity approached that of Hepa-1c1c7 and MUL12. At low cell density, Bprc1 was able to produce phenols, but this variant did not seem to have this ability at high cell density. When the substrate concentration was 4 microM and the incubation time was 24 h, beta-glucuronidase treatment of water-soluble metabolites released about 5.3 times more pmol of quinones compared with phenols. But when the substrate concentration was 25 nM, beta-glucuronidase released about 2.0 times as many phenols compared with quinones. The parent and the two more actively metabolizing variants showed differences in the peak times of accumulation of 9,10-diol and 7,8-diol of benzo(a)pyrene, which may have implications for binding to DNA and nuclear proteins. It was concluded that BPrc1 has basal but not easily inducible aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity, whereas Hepa-1c1c7, MUL12, and TAOc1Bprc1 have basal and inducible aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity. These results show that variants of a single parent cell line can exhibit significant differences in the rate and extent of metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene.

Acetates↗
PubMed1985

Effects of organoselenium compounds on induction of mouse forestomach tumors by benzo(a)pyrene.

The selenium analogues of three known inhibitors of chemical carcinogenesis were synthesized and the compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the induction of forestomach tumors in mice by benzo(a)pyrene. Groups of female CD-1 mice were given NIH-07 diet, or NIH-07 diet to which one of the following test compounds had been added: p-methoxyphenol (30 mumol/g diet and 3.3 mumol/g diet); p-methoxybenzeneselenol (3.3 mumol/g diet); benzylthiocyanate (0.045 mumol/g diet); benzylselenocyanate (0.045 mumol/g diet); phenothiazine (3.8 mumol/g diet); and phenoselenazine (3.8 mumol/g diet). The test compounds were administered for 1 week prior to treatment with benzo(a)pyrene, during the 4 weeks of benzo(a)pyrene treatment, and for 1 week after benzo(a)pyrene treatment. Twelve weeks later the mice were sacrificed and forestomach tumors were counted and confirmed histologically as papillomas. p-Methoxyphenol was the most effective inhibitor and was the only one which significantly reduced both the percentage of tumor-bearing animals and the number of forestomach tumors per animal. At the 3.3-mumol/g diet, p-methoxyphenol reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 0.8 (P less than 0.0003). p-Methoxybenzeneselenol reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 2.0 (P less than 0.05). Benzylthiocyanate showed no significant inhibitory effect, but benzylselenocyanate reduced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 1.7 (P less than 0.01). Phenothiazine significantly enhanced the number of tumors per animal from 3.3 to 6.5 (P less than 0.004). Phenoselenazine had no effect on tumor induction. The results of this study indicate that two synthetic organoselenium compounds, p-methoxybenzeneselenol and benzylselenocyanate, are effective inhibitors of mouse forestomach tumorigenesis induced by benzo(a)pyrene.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

A comparison of the DNA intercalative binding of bay versus K region metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene.

The DNA intercalating properties of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (1) and of trans-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (2) have been compared in UV absorption and in fluorescence emission and fluorescence lifetime studies. Molecules 1 and 2 represent steric models of the two epoxide containing metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene, trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) and benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide. The former of these metabolites is a highly carcinogenic bay region metabolite, the latter is a much less carcinogenic K region metabolite. The association constant for intercalation for model 1 is 5,226 M-1. This is more than 2.7 times greater than that for molecule 2. These results taken together with results form previous studies of bay and K region metabolite models of benz[a]anthracene suggest that intercalation is important to the overall carcinogenic activity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Benzo(a)pyrene↗
PubMed1985

Inhibition of binding of benzo(a)pyrene to DNA by 7,8-benzoflavone in organ cultures of human bronchus.

Levels of binding of exogeneously added benzo(a)pyrene to DNA in organ culture were examined in nine specimens of normal human bronchus obtained by bronchoscopy of tumor patients. The specimens were divided into two portions and incubated with [3H]benzo(a)pyrene in the absence or presence of 2 microM 7,8-benzoflavone for 24 h. 7,8-benzoflavone inhibited [3H]benzo(a)pyrene-DNA binding from 24 to 60%. Generally, the levels of binding of [3H]benzo(a)pyrene to DNA in the presence of 7,8-benzoflavone were relatively low and closely bracketed the mean value for the nine specimens. This appears to indicate that there are at least two components to [3H]benzo(a)pyrene-DNA binding catalyzed by the human bronchus. One component is quite variable in activity and is sensitive to inhibition by 7,8-benzoflavone, and may be an environmentally induced activity. The second component is lower in activity, and may be a constitutive portion of the mixed-function oxidase.

Benzo(a)pyrene↗
PubMed1984

Carcinogen-binding proteins. High-affinity binding sites for benzo[a]pyrene in mouse liver distinct from the Ah receptor.

Mouse liver cytosol contains saturable, high-affinity binding sites for the aromatic carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene that are distinct from the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-binding aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Specific binding parameters determined by an equilibrium binding assay indicate a dissociation constant of 7.7 nM and a binding capacity of 4.7 pmol of benzo[a]pyrene per milligram of cytosolic protein. Although the data best fit a single class of binding sites by Scatchard and Hill analyses, discrete 4 S and 9 S [3H]benzo[a]pyrene peaks are identified on sucrose density gradients comprising about 98% and 2% of the specific binding, respectively. Steroid hormones and other ligands for previously described binding proteins have no effect on the specific carcinogen binding when present in the cytosol incubation at saturating levels. The glutathione S-transferases, shown in rat and human liver to possess carcinogen-binding properties, were also found not to be responsible for this receptor-like benzo[a]pyrene binding in mouse liver cytosol. Competition binding studies indicate that other aromatic hydrocarbon compounds of a structure similar to that of benzo[a]pyrene are equipotent in affinity for this major carcinogen-binding site.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Rat bladder cell-mediated mutagenesis od Chinese hamster V79 cells and metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene.

Primary rat bladder epithelial cells were cocultivated with Chinese hamster V79 cells in the presence of carcinogens, and the induction of 6-thioguanine resistance in the V79 cells was used as a marker of cell-mediated mutagenesis. The carcinogens dimethylnitrosamine, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and benzo[a]pyrene (BP) were mutagenic to V79 cells in the presence of bladder cells but not in their absence. Analysis of BP metabolites formed by bladder cells indicated that 7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene-3,6-quinone, and 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene were the major organic-soluble metabolites formed. Glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of BP metabolites were also produced by bladder cells. Mutagenesis data from the rat bladder system and previous data from rat liver and lung cell-mediated mutagenesis systems indicate that the cell-mediated mutagenesis approach may provide a useful approach for studying the organotropic effect of chemical carcinogens. Furthermore, the finding that rat bladder epithelium can metabolize some carcinogens offers new possibilities for the mechanism of initiation of bladder cancer.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1981

Metal salts as promoters of in vitro morphological transformation of hamster embryo cells initiated by benzo(a)pyrene.

The hamster embryo cell bioassay has been used to study the effect of metal salts on morphological transformation. A synergistic enhancement of the transformation frequency was found for the combined treatment with organic carcinogens [benzo(a)pyrene, N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide] and nickel sulfate, cadmium acetate, or potassium chromate. Chromic chloride and zinc chloride did not induce transformation themselves, and they had no effect on the transformation frequency when tested in combination with benzo(a)pyrene. The synergistic effect between benzo(a)pyrene and nickel sulfate or cadmium acetate was also apparent when the cells were treated sequentially with the chemicals. When the cells were first exposed to benzo(a)pyrene, both nickel sulfate and cadmium acetate showed a promotion-like effect similar to that obtained with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Moreover, when 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or benzo(a)pyrene were used as promoting agents, both nickel sulfate and cadmium acetate were able to initiate morphological transformation. The data suggest that the metal salts are more potent as promoters than they are as initiators. The present findings may be of importance in relation to carcinogenicity of metal compounds to humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Benzo(a)pyrene phenol production by perfused rat liver and its inhibition by ethanol.

A rapid and inexpensive method has been developed to estimate rates of benzo(a)pyrene phenol production by perfused rat liver. This method is based on the measurement of benzo(a)pyrene phenols utilizing a simple fluorometric procedure. Within 2 to 3 min after infusion of benzo(a)pyrene bound to serum albumin, phenols are excreted into the perfusate, primarily as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. Maximal rates of phenol release were 8 to 10 nmol/g/hr in livers from control rats and 40 to 42 nmol/g/hr in livers from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. Fasting of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats for 24 hr prior to perfusion experiments did not affect either the rate of phenol production or the extent of their conjugation. Ethanol (20 mM) inhibited rates of phenol formation by 50% in livers from fasted, 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats but had no effect on benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity in isolated hepatic microsomes. These data indicate that ethanol inhibits phenol formation from benzo(a)pyrene in intact liver, probably by diminishing the supply of the cofactor reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Increased oxidation of a chemical carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene, by colon tissue biopsy specimens from patients with ulcerative colitis.

Colonic biopsy specimens from patients with ulcerative colitis and normal subjects were studied for the ability to metabolize an environmental carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene. Approximately 73% of 30 colonic biopsy specimens from 7 ulcerative colitis patients could metabolize benzo(a)pyrene to oxidized products, with an average production of 11.6 nmol/mg biopsy protein. In contrast, 39% of 23 biopsy specimens from 5 normal persons showed metabolic activity, with an average of 2.79 nmol benzo(a)pyrene metabolites/mg biopsy protein. Thus, benzo(a)pyrene oxidation activity in colonic tissue from colitis patients was, on the average, fourfold greater than that in normal subjects. This elevated metabolic activity appeared to be unrelated to the state of inflammation in the biopsy section. There was a tendency toward increased metabolic activity in the distal colon. Although there is no evidence that benzo(a)pyrene itself is "the colon carcinogen," this chemical belongs to a broad class of environmental carcinogens, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our findings suggest that the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis has a greater ability than that of normal subjects to oxidize such chemicals possibly to electrophiles with higher mutagenic potential.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Characterization of mutagenic glucuronide formation from benzo(a)pyrene in the nonrecirculating perfused rat liver.

Excretion of mutagenic metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene into bile from livers of corn oil- or 3-methylcholanthrene-treated Sprague-Dawley rats perfused with a nonrecirculating perfusion system was quantitated. Mutagenic benzo(a)pyrene metabolites were detected using Salmonella typhimurium (strain TA 98) grown in the presence of limiting amounts of histidine. Microsomes were not included in the bacterial assay since metabolic activation was carried out by the perfused liver. Mutagenic activity was detected only if beta-glucuronidase was added to the assay mixture or if bile was treated with acid to hydrolyze glucuronides prior to assay. When livers were perfused with 20 microM benzo(a)pyrene, stable, mutagenic glucuronides were exported from corn oil-treated livers at maximal rates of 149 +/- 24 (S.E.) revertants/g/hr and at rates of 225 +/- 22 revertants/g/hr in livers from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. Chromatography of bile by high-performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that two peak areas contained phenolic glucuronides which were hydrolyzed by beta-glucuronidase. These two peaks, one which cochromatographed with authentic 3-benzo(a)pyrenyl-beta-D-glucuronide, accounted for all of the mutagenic activity in bile from livers perfused with benzo(a)pyrene. A good correlation (r = 0.86) between rates of mutagen production and rates of formation of phenolic glucuronides was observed under a variety of experimental conditions. The mutagenic activity observed with pure 3-benzo(a)pyrenyl-beta-D-glucuronide exposed to beta-glucuronidase was 4 revertants/nmol. When the rate of mutagen production was divided by the rate of production of 3-benzo(a)pyrenyl-beta-D-glucuronide by the perfused liver, a value of 4 revertants/nmol was also obtained. Therefore, it is concluded that mutagens exported in bile from livers perfused with benzo(a)pyrene can be accounted for predominantly by hydrolysis products of phenolic glucuronides.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Combined oral carcinogenicity of HPV-16 and benzo(a)pyrene: an in vitro multistep carcinogenesis model.

We previously immortalized normal human oral keratinocytes by transfection with recombinant HPV-16 DNA and subsequently exposed the cells to benzo(a)pyrene for 7 days. The exposure to benzo(a)pyrene modified the immortalized cells: the modified cells (HOK-16B-BaP) proliferated in an ordinary culture medium containing physiological calcium level (1.5 mM), but demonstrated only enhanced proliferation capacity without tumor formation in nude mice and failed to show in vitro anchorage-independency. In this study, we further modified the HOK-16B-BaP cells by subculturing the cells in a medium containing benzo(a)pyrene for 6 months. The cells were further modified with a chronic benzo(a)pyrene exposure and were termed HOK-16B-BaP-T cells (1) demonstrated a malignant phenotype in organotypic 'raft' culture, (2) showed in vitro anchorage-independency, (3) developed tumors in nude mice when injected subcutaneously, (4) contained a significantly higher copy number of intact and integrated HPV-16 DNA; (5) contained higher level of HPV-16 E6/E7 messages and E7 protein, (6) were more resistant to transforming growth factor-beta 1 and (7) secreted higher level of vascular endothelial growth factor with molecular weight of 56 kd than parental HOK-16B-BaP cells. However, the levels of p53 and ras proteins and the levels of p53, c-myc and c-fos transcripts in the HOK-16B-BaP-T cells were not different from those in the HOK-16B-BaP cells. The highly conserved coding regions of the p53, c-Ha-ras1, and c-Ki-ras2 genes of the tumor cells were not mutated. These data indicate that the HPV-immortalized human oral keratinocytes can convert to tumorigenic cells by chronic exposure to benzo(a)pyrene. The tumorigenic conversion seems to be associated with (1) the overexpression of viral oncogenes such as E6 and E7 genes, (2) the higher resistance of cells to transforming growth factor-beta 1 and (3) the high secretion of 56 kd vascular endothelial growth factor from the cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on DNA damage and unscheduled DNA synthesis induced by benzo (a) pyrene].

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is an active component of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. In this study, the effects of glycyrrhetinic acid on DNA damage and unscheduled DNA synthesis induced by benzo (alpha) pyrene were studied. Mouse ear edema was visible obviously at the 6th h after topical application of single dose croton oil. A topical application of croton oil on the back of ICR mice for 5 h, induced elevation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in epidermal. The administration of glycyrrhetinic acid (50-200 mg.kg-1.d-1) to animals for 3 days exhibited 20%-80% inhibition of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Benzo (alpha) pyrene obviously caused DNA damage and unscheduled DNA synthesis mediated by S9 fraction in Chinese hamster lung cell line. Glycyrrhetinic acid was found to protect the rapid DNA damage induced by benzo (alpha) pyrene. At concentration of 5 micrograms.ml-1, glycyrrhetinic acid exhibited 70% protection. At 20 micrograms.ml-1, this action was more potent and approached to 80%. The addition of hydroxyurea 10 mmol.L-1 suppressed DNA replicative synthesis to 84.04% and benzo (alpha) pyrene stimulated the DNA repair synthesis (6-fold). Glycyrrhetinic acid (20 micrograms.ml-1 and 50 micrograms.ml-1 significantly decreased the stimulation of DNA repair synthesis induced by benzo (alpha) pyrene. This suggests that glycyrrhetinic acid has effective anti-initiating and anti-promoting activities and could be used for cancer chemopreventive purpose.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Toxicity of iron oxides and metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene alone or in combination in cells culture and identification by laser microprobe mass spectrometry.

The goal of the gas-phase studies of well-characterized transition-metal systems is to enhance our understanding of the chemistry and sometimes of the toxic, carcinogenic effects of transition metal oxide clusters and compounds. The analysis of inorganic solids by time of flight laser microprobe mass spectrometry (TOF-LMMS) shows the formation of clusters in the mass spectra which can be used for the identification of inorganic particles. First, we have applied non-resonance ionization (delta = 226 nm) or resonant ionization (delta = 293.7 nm) of iron to study the non stoichiometric Fe1-xO, Fe3O4, Fe2O3 compounds in positive mode by TOF-LMMS. The positive mass spectra are characterized by many differences between the clusters detected and their intensities. Then, we have analysed the benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), the 1-hydroxbenzo[a]pyrene (1-OH-BaP) and the 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP) of TOF-LMMS and by Fourier Transform Irons Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). It is possible to distinguish these different compounds by their respective fingerprint. Later on, we have studied toxic effects of iron oxides (Hematite Fe2O3 and Magnetite Fe3O4), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and Pyrene, alone or in combination. The LC50 was appreciated by colony-forming cell culture method. Cells were observed by electron microscopy and the valence of particles was analysed by TOF-LMMS. With Fe2O3 we have observed a significant decrease (20%) at higher concentration (0.5 mmol/l) and smaller quantities of BaP were highly toxic. The association of BaP at the LC10 dose (0.05 mumol/l) with growing doses of Fe2O3 or Fe3O4 (0.0125; 0.025; 0.05; 0.1; 0.2 mmol/l), appeared to increase the toxic effect of BaP 3 to 4 times. These results suggest that Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 alone are not very toxic but the association of one of these compounds with BaP increases the toxicity of the latter. On the other hand, TOF-LMMS seems to show a metabolization of iron oxide into reduced form. But, it is necessary to raise the ambiguity about the iron which is always in the cells present. For that purpose, studies with iron oxides enriched by 54Fe isotope have begun.

Benzo(a)pyrene↗
PubMed1976

Comparison of the hydroxylation of zoxazolamine and benzo[a]pyrene in human placenta: effect of cigarette smoking.

The in vitro hydroxylation of zoxazolamine was compared with the hydroxylation of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in full-term placentas from 11 nonsmokers and from 13 women who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy. Cigarette smoking increased the average zoxazolamine and benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase activities 13- and 39-fold, respectively. A 59-fold range in benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase activity and a 28-fold range in zoxazolamine hydroxylase activity were found in the placentas of cigarette smokers. A plot of these two enzyme activities showed that zoxazolamine hydroxylase activity was highly correlated, with benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase activity in the 24 placentas studied (r = 0.98; p less than 0.001). A strong correlation between the above enzymatic activities was also found in 8 placentas which had been stored for 2 yr at -20 degrees C (r = 0.95; p less than 0.001). The results suggest that benzo[a]pyrene and zoxazolamine are metabolized in the human placenta by the same enzyme or by different systems that are under the same regulatory control.

Benzopyrene Hydroxylase↗