Use of a surrogate aerosol in a preliminary screening for the potential carcinogenicity of coal coated with No. 6 fuel oil.

Coal, which contains significant amounts of water, can be ground and dried to produce an efficient fuel for electric power plants; however, spontaneous combustion can occur in the dried coal. Liquid petroleum hydrocarbons inhibit this combustion, but not all petroleum streams are effective. No. 6 fuel oil, a readily available and inexpensive stream, provides an effective coating, but the carcinogenic potential of coal particles treated with No. 6 fuel oil, which contains polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAs), was undefined. As part of the assessment process, a series of studies was conducted to compare this treated coal with similar particles (petroleum coke) that had been tested by chronic inhalation in monkeys and rats. The amounts of PNAs in petroleum coke and treated coal were compared in extraction studies; the treated coal had only two-thirds of the organics extractable with benzene compared with coke and only 7% as much of the 3-7 ring PNAs, the likely tumorigenic compounds. In addition, the analytical profile of 3-7 ring PNAs was of lower molecular weights in the coal treated with fuel oil. The mutagenicity of extracts from treated coal was much less than with petroleum coke and markedly less than that of No. 6 fuel oil itself. The percutaneous absorption of 3H-benzo(a)pyrene from both particles and from their benzene extracts, as measured in vitro, was approximately eight times greater with petroleum coke than with treated coal. Based on these preliminary results, there is no evidence suggesting that the treated coal would pose any greater carcinogenic risk than petroleum coke.

Correlation of mutagenic potencies of various petroleum oils and oil coal tar mixtures with DNA adduct levels in vitro.

An in vitro system was utilized to measure DNA adduct-forming ability of petroleum oils and oil coal tar mixtures to define correlations between DNA adduct levels and their mutagenic potencies. The system consisted of reaction of dimethyl sulfoxide extracts of oils with calf thymus DNA in the presence of Aroclor-induced hamster liver microsomes for 30 min. Following DNA extraction, DNA adducts were measured by the nuclease P1-enhanced postlabeling assay coupled with two-dimensional polyethyleneimine (PEI)-cellulose TLC. Thin layer plates showed putative aromatic DNA adducts, with levels ranging from 60 to 1400 adducts per 10(9) DNA nucleotides. TLC mobilities suggested adducts to be aromatic compounds containing 4 or more rings. A good correlation (coefficient of correlation = 0.91) was observed between DNA adduct levels and Salmonella mutagenicity for 19 oils. All 19 samples tested produced DNA adducts. To expedite the TLC procedure, adducts were resolved by one-dimensional TLC and the radioactivity measured using a mechanical scanner. Results were comparable to those obtained by two-dimensional TLC and quantification after scraping. Our data show that the in vitro incubation system coupled with the postlabeling adduct assay is a useful screening method to identify mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic oils.

Evaluation of the dermal carcinogenic potential of re-refined base stocks using the modified Ames assay, PAC analysis and the 32P-postlabeling assay for DNA adduct induction.

The standard method for assessing the carcinogenicity of lubricating oil base stocks is the mouse skin-painting bioassay. This assay has the advantage of directly measuring the endpoint of interest, dermal carcinogenicity, but has the drawback of being time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, a variety of biological and chemical assays have been developed as predictive alternatives to the in vivo assay. This publication describes the application of three such methods to the assessment of carcinogenic potential of hydrotreated, re-refined oils: the modified Ames test, the analytical determination of 3-7-ring polycyclic aromatic compound content and the 32P-postlabeling assay for DNA adduct induction.

Benzene induces a dose-responsive increase in the frequency of micronucleated cells in rat Zymbal glands.

The Zymbal gland, a sebaceous tissue associated with the ear duct of certain rodent species, is a principal target for carcinogenesis by benzene. To investigate the mechanism of induction of tumors in the rat Zymbal gland, we have developed a procedure for primary culture of epithelial cells from Zymbal gland explants so that cytogenetic analysis can be performed on this target tissue following an in vivo exposure to benzene. Cytogenetic analysis performed 45 hr after in vivo oral dosing with benzene revealed chromosome damage that occurred as a result of acute, subchronic, and chronic dosing. This damage, expressed as a dose-related increase in the frequency of micronucleated cells, was observed in Sprague-Dawley female rats over a range of benzene doses from 12.5 to 250 mg/kg/day, and in male Fischer 344 rats at doses ranging from 1 to 200 mg/kg/day. These results are consistent with the known clastogenicity of benzene in mouse bone marrow, which is also a target tissue. This study is the first report of a genotoxic effect of benzene in the rat Zymbal gland and shows that micronucleus formation may be used as a correlate for carcinogenesis induced by benzene in this target tissue.

Identification of formaldehyde as the metabolite responsible for the mutagenicity of methyl tertiary-butyl ether in the activated mouse lymphoma assay.

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), which is added to gasoline as an octane enhancer and to reduce automotive emissions, has been evaluated in numerous toxicological tests, including those for genotoxicity. MTBE did not show any mutagenic potential in the Ames bacterial assay or any clastogenicity in cytogenetic tests. However, it has been shown to be mutagenic in an in vitro gene mutation assay using mouse lymphoma cells when tested in the presence, but not in the absence, of a rat liver-derived metabolic activation system (S-9). In the present study, MTBE was tested to determine if formaldehyde, in the presence of the S-9, was responsible for the observed mutagenicity. A modification of the mouse lymphoma assay was employed which permits determination of whether a suspect material is mutagenic because it contains or is metabolized to formaldehyde. In the modified assay, the enzyme formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FDH) and its co-factor, NAD+ are added in large excess during the exposure period so that any formaldehyde produced in the system is rapidly converted to formic acid which is not genotoxic. An MTBE dose-responsive increase in the frequency of mutants and in cytotoxicity occurred without FDH present, and this effect was greatly reduced in the presence of FDH NAD+. The findings clearly demonstrate that formaldehyde derived from MTBE is responsible for mutagenicity of MTBE in the activated mouse lymphoma assay. Furthermore, the results suggest that the lack of mutagenicity/clastogenicity seen with MTBE in other in vitro assays might have resulted from inadequacies in the test systems employed for those assays.

Lack of DNA adduct formation in mice treated with benzene.

The potential of benzene to produce DNA adducts in B6C3F1 mice was investigated by the nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling assay. The mice were daily treated i.p. with 500 mg/kg benzene in olive oil for 4 days, and the liver, mammary gland, and bone marrow were collected 24 h after the last treatment. Thin-layer chromatograms obtained with treated-tissue DNA specimens were qualitatively identical to those from corresponding olive oil-treated (control) tissue DNA. Quantitative evaluations revealed that there was no treatment-related increase in radioactivity on the chromatograms at or near the locations where the major in vitro adducts of phenol, hydroquinone and benzoquinone migrated. Benzene treatment, however, resulted in a decrease in the levels of certain endogenous adducts, the biological significance of which is unknown. Our results indicate that benzene treatment does not produce detectable levels of aromatic DNA adducts in mouse tissues.

Mutagenicity of benzo(a)pyrenyl-1-sulfate in the Ames test.

Comparison of the mutagenicity of nine isomeric benzo(a)pyrenyl [B(a)P] phenols conjugated with either sulfate or glucuronide was carried out using strain Salmonella typhimurium TA98. Of the nine conjugates tested, only B(a)P-1-sulfate was mutagenic. Accordingly, the mutagenicity of B(a)P-1-sulfate was compared with that of B(a)P and 1-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P-1-OH] in the presence and absence of rat lung S9 and Aroclor-induced liver S9 with and without an NADPH-generating system. B(a)P-1-sulfate was slightly mutagenic, whereas B(a)P and the 1-hydroxy derivative were nonmutagenic when S9 fractions and NADPH were omitted. Addition of induced liver S9 with NADPH caused mutagenicity with B(a) -1-OH greater than B(a)P greater than B(a)P-1-sulfate. B(a)P-1-sulfate was the only mutagenic species when lung S9 was added. This mutagenicity did not require NADPH. Sodium sulfite, an inhibitor of arylsulfatase, decreased the mutagenicity of B(a)P-1-sulfate. These data suggest that a unique mutagenic species is generated from B(a)P-1-sulfate via arylsulfatase in rat lung.

32P-postlabeling detection of thymine glycols: evaluation of adduct recoveries after enhancement with affinity chromatography, nuclease P1, nuclease S1, and polynucleotide kinase.

Thymine glycol (Tg) is a product of DNA damage by oxygen radicals generated by oxidative mutagens and carcinogens and ionizing radiation. The highly sensitive 32P-postlabeling assay was validated and optimized for the measurement of Tg generated in vitro by the reaction of dTp or calf thymus DNA with osmium tetroxide (OsO4). Adduct detection was enhanced by purification of Tg adducts using phenylboronate affinity chromatography or by preferential dephosphorylation of unmodified 3'-nucleotides with nuclease P1, nuclease S1, or polynucleotide kinase; Tg nucleotides were found to be resistant to limited enzymatic 3'-dephosphorylation. Two adducts were seen with OsO4-modified dTp, which may have been cis-Tg adducts, because they were retained on a phenylboronate column, and because OsO4 selectively forms cis-Tg adducts. With OsO4-modified DNA, several adducts were detected, two major derivatives of which coincided chromatographically with those seen in OsO4-modified dTp. The recoveries of major adducts were similar before and after enrichment by different methods, indicating that Tg adducts were resistant to enzymatic dephosphorylation. The efficacy of labeling of the two major Tg adducts by polynucleotide kinase was optimal at 60 microM ATP and higher, whereas it was about 3%, 50%, and 80% of the optimal rate at 2, 10, and 30 microM, respectively. This was in contrast to our previous finding that only 0.25 microM ATP was needed for optimal labeling of benzoquinone-DNA adducts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

DNA adduction by phenol, hydroquinone, or benzoquinone in vitro but not in vivo: nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling of adducts as labeled nucleoside bisphosphates, dinucleotides and nucleoside monophosphates.

The carcinogenicity of benzene has been considered to be in part mediated by its chemically reactive metabolic product benzoquinone (BQ), which is formed from the intermediary metabolites phenol and hydroquinone (HQ). We have evaluated the DNA-binding capability of these chemicals in vitro and in vivo by postlabeling. Treatment of rat Zymbal glands in culture with phenol and HQ or direct reaction of BQ with DNA produced DNA adducts, which were detectable by the nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling assay as 5'-32P-labeled 3',5'-bisphosphate products. The enhancement of sensitivity in this assay is based on the previous finding that nuclease P1 hydrolyzes the phosphate attached to the 3' side of normal nucleotides but not the corresponding phosphate of most aromatic/bulky adducted nucleotides. Also based on this hydrolytic property of nuclease P1, we developed an additional sensitive procedure that permitted the detection of DNA lesions as 5'-32P-labeled products of dinucleotides, pXpN, or of nucleoside monophosphates, pX, where X and N indicate an adducted nucleoside and a normal nucleoside respectively. In the latter assay, adducted DNA was first digested with nuclease P1 and acid phosphatase to yield XpN and N. The latter were then 32P-labeled to yield [5'-32P] pXpN or 32P-labeled and treated with venom phosphodiesterase to obtain [5'-32P]pX. After optimization of enzymatic conditions, the modified nuclease P1 assay yielded adduct recoveries similar to those obtained by the bisphosphate assay for in vitro phenol-, HQ- and BQ-DNA adducts. Neither of the nuclease P1-enhanced postlabeling procedures showed exposure-specific adducts in vivo in the bone marrow, Zymbal gland, liver and spleen of female Sprague-Dawley rats at 24 h after the last of four single, daily p.o. doses of 75 mg/kg phenol or 150 mg/kg phenol/HQ (1:1). Our results show that phenol, HQ and BQ produce adducts in vitro, but corresponding adducts are not detected in vivo with phenol and phenol/HQ, even when measured by the standard and modified nuclease P1 postlabeling methods capable of detecting 1 adduct in 10(9-10) DNA bases.

32P-postlabeling assay for carcinogen-DNA adducts: description of beta shielding apparatus and semi-automatic spotting and washing devices that facilitate the handling of multiple samples.

The utilization of the 32P-postlabeling assay in combination with TLC for the sensitive detection and estimation of aromatic DNA adducts has been increasing in the past few years. The procedure consists of 32P-labeling of carcinogen-adducted 3'-nucleotides in the DNA digests using [gamma-32P]ATP and polynucleotide kinase, separation of 32P-labeled adducts by TLC, and their detection by autoradiography. During both 32P-labeling and initial phases of TLC, a relatively high amount of [gamma-32P]ATP (3.0-4.5 mCi) is handled when 30 samples are processed simultaneously. We describe the design of acrylic shielding apparatus, semi-automatic TLC spotting devices, and devices for development and washing of multiple TLC plates, which not only provide substantial protection from exposure to 32P beta radiation, but also allow quick and easy handling of a large number of samples, thus expediting the assay workup and making it less labor-intensive. Specifically, the equipment includes: (i) a multi-tube carousel rack (7.5 cm diameter and 7.7 cm height) having 15 wells to hold capless Eppendorf tubes (0.5 ml) and a rotatable lid with an aperture to access individual tubes; (ii) a pipet shielder; (iii) two semi-automatic spotting devices to apply radioactive solutions to TLC plates; (iv) a multi-plate holder for TLC plates; and (v) a mechanical device for washing multiple TLC plates. Item (i) is small enough to be held in one-hand, vortexed, and centrifuged to mix the solutions in each tube while beta radiation is shielded. Items (iii) to (iv) aid in the automation of the assay.

A method for in vitro culture of rat Zymbal gland: use in mechanistic studies of benzene carcinogenesis in combination with 32P-postlabeling.

Zymbal glands were excised bilaterally from the ear ducts of female Sprague-Dawley rats (three/group), minced into approximately four fragments per gland, and transferred into a microtiter plate containing 1.5 mL per well of Waymouth's tissue culture medium supplemented with fetal calf serum, hydrocortisone, insulin, and gentamicin. After addition of a test compound or solvent vehicle, plates were incubated for 6, 24, 48, or 96 hr at 37 degrees C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. Tissue in culture for 6 hr was histologically indistinguishable from the freshly excised tissue, while that in culture for 24, 48, and 96 hr showed a progressive deterioration often with necrosis and/or squamous metaplasia. More pronounced deterioration was noted in samples treated with 750 or 1500 micrograms/mL of benzene. Using a nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling assay, aromatic DNA adducts were detected in cultured Zymbal glands exposed for 48 hr to benzene and its derivatives, as well as to 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) and 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF). Benzene produced very low levels of adducts (0.5 adducts per 10(9) nucleotides), whereas its congeners produced relatively high levels of adducts (50-2000 lesions per 10(9) nucleotides), which decreased in the order benzoquinone greater than hydroquinone greater than phenol greater than benzenetriol greater than catechol. Each adduct profile overall was characteristic for the compound studied, suggesting the formation of compound-specific electrophiles. AAF and DMBA adducts were identical to those formed in vivo in animals. Our results show that the Zymbal glands are capable of metabolizing different carcinogens to DNA-reactive intermediates, a process that may be causally associated with tumor formation in vivo in this organ.

32P analysis of DNA adducts in tissues of benzene-treated rats.

Solid tumors have been reported in the Zymbal gland, oral and nasal cavities, liver, and mammary gland of Sprague-Dawley rats following chronic, high-dose administration of benzene. The carcinogenic activity of benzene is thought to be caused by activation to toxic metabolites that can interact with DNA, forming covalent adducts. A nuclease P1-enhanced 32P-postlabeling assay, having a sensitivity limit of 1 adduct in 10(9-10) DNA nucleotides, was found suitable for measuring aromatic DNA adducts derived in vitro from catechol, benzenetriol (BT), phenol, hydroquinone (HQ), and benzoquinone (BQ), potential metabolites of benzene. When DNA specimens isolated from tissues of female Sprague-Dawley rats at 24 hr after an oral gavage dose of 200 to 500 mg/kg, 5 days/week, in olive oil (3 mL/kg) for 1 day, 1 week, 5 weeks, and 10 weeks were analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling procedure, no aromatic adducts were detected unequivocally with DNA samples of liver, kidney, bone marrow, and mammary gland. With Zymbal gland DNA, three weak spots at levels totaling four lesions per 10(9) DNA nucleotides were seen only after 10 weeks of treatment, and these adducts did not correspond chromatographically to major adducts in vitro from the above specified compounds. Consequently, this finding requires confirmatory experiments. This distinct adduct pattern may relate to tumor induction in this organ following benzene administration. Our results also indicate that DNA adducts derived from catechol, BT, phenol, HQ, and BQ are either not formed in vivo with benzene or formed at levels below the detection limit of 1 adduct per 10(9-10) DNA nucleotides.

Late target protein of the carcinogen N-2-fluorenylacetamide in rat liver.

In previous studies, administration of a radioactive tracer dose of the liver carcinogen, N-2-fluorenylacetamide (2-acetylaminofluorene; FAA), to normal or carcinogen-fed rats led to the presence of one or two principal labeled carcinogen: protein complexes in liver cytosol. The early target Mr 14,000 protein of the carcinogen in normal rats was identified as being liver fatty acid-binding protein and was associated in hepatocytes with normal mitosis and the cell proliferation brought about by either of the two liver carcinogens, FAA or 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene. Continued ingestion of any of the three hepatocarcinogens, FAA, 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, or ethionine, resulted in the progressive loss of the early radioactive complex and the concurrent gain in liver cytosol of the late carcinogen: protein complex (Mr approximately 150,000) formed by the tracer dose of FAA. Present attempts to extract FAA derivatives from the late carcinogen: protein complex with organic solvents indicated that virtually all of the carcinogen was apparently covalently bound to the resultant denatured protein. It is unknown whether the covalent interaction occurred in vivo or as an accompaniment of the protein denaturation associated with the solvent extractions. In support of a possible noncovalent interaction, treatment of the unextracted complex with sodium dodecyl sulfate, urea, and beta-mercaptoethanol followed by electrophoresis readily dissociated the majority of the bound carcinogen. The late carcinogen: protein complex was shown to contain a 55 kDa subunit (p55), which was purified to homogeneity according to molecular size. The subunit is a relatively basic polypeptide with a pI of 8.4 to 8.6. In Western blots using rabbit immunoglobulins against the p55, the late target protein was found to be present at low concentrations in liver cytosols of normal rats, and was induced to relatively high levels by ingestion of the carcinogen for 3 to 5 weeks. The induction of high levels of the late target protein explains in part the progressive elevation in content of the late carcinogen: protein complex in rat liver during carcinogenesis by FAA. The isolated p55 was susceptible to a spontaneous stepwise breakdown, resulting in a ladder of decreasing molecular sizes with an average unit difference of 5.8 kDa per step over six size intervals. The p55 subunit was detected in nonhepatic organs of normal rats, but unlike levels in liver, the levels there were not affected by ingestion of the carcinogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Correlation of mutagenic and dermal carcinogenic activities of mineral oils with polycyclic aromatic compound content.

Mutagenicity, polynuclear aromatic compound content, and skin carcinogenicity were compared for a series of complex oil mixtures derived from the refining and processing of petroleum. Mutagenicity in a modified Ames Salmonella assay showed an excellent correlation with carcinogenicity, as determined in a mouse skin-painting bioassay, for oil samples with median boiling points (defined as the temperature at which 50%/volume of an oil sample is recovered as condensate during distillation--50% recovered) above approximately 500 degrees F. A significant correlation was also observed between the 3-7 ring polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) content and both mutagenic and carcinogenic potencies for samples ranging from those with median (50% recovered) boiling points above approximately 500 degrees F to those with initial boiling points of approximately 1070 degrees F. These results show that both PAC content and mutagenicity are predictive of dermal carcinogenic activity and indicate that PAC components are largely if not entirely responsible for both the carcinogenic and mutagenic activities.

Predicting carcinogenicity of petroleum distillation fractions using a modified Salmonella mutagenicity assay.

The Ames Salmonella/microsomal activation mutagenesis assay has been modified to improve sensitivity and reproducibility to complex mixtures derived from the refining and processing of petroleum. Oil samples were dissolved in cyclohexane and subsequently extracted with dimethyl sulfoxide to produce aqueous compatible solutions which readily interact with tester bacteria. Also, the liver homogenate (S-9) and NADP cofactor concentrations were increased and hamster rather than rat liver S-9 was used. The initial slope of the dose response curve relating mutagenicity (revertants per plate) to the dose of extract added was used as an index of mutagenic activity; this slope was obtained through a computerized curve fitting procedure. The modified assay was used to rank 18 oil samples for mutagenic activity; this ranking correlates highly (r = 0.92) with potency rankings of the same samples previously determined from dermal carcinogenicity bioassays. Sensitivity and reproducibility of the assay are sufficient to permit routine use for detecting potential carcinogenic activity of individual refinery streams and blends which contain components boiling above 500 degrees F.

Estimation of the dermal carcinogenic activity of petroleum fractions using a modified Ames assay.

The Ames Salmonella/microsomal activation mutagenesis assay has been adapted to improve sensitivity to complex hydrocarbon mixtures produced by the refining of petroleum. Extraction of oil samples with dimethyl sulfoxide produces aqueous-compatible solutions that more easily interact with the tester bacteria. These extracts, therefore, produce higher revertant values than do equivalent volumes of oil delivered neat or dissolved in organic solvent. Parallel increases in the liver microsomal S-9 concentration further improve the sensitivity of the assay, allowing detection of mutagenicity in otherwise inactive samples. The effect of increased microsomal fraction from rodent liver is apparently attributable to the higher levels of activating enzymes rather than to the concomitant increase in the overall hydrophobicity of the test system. The modified assay has been used to rank thirteen petroleum-derived oils and a corn oil control for relative mutagenic activity. This ranking closely correlates (r = 0.97) with potency rankings of the same samples previously determined from dermal carcinogenicity bioassays.

An early event associated with liver carcinogenesis involving loss of a polypeptide that binds carcinogen.

This report describes an early and direct action of oncogenic agents and its apparent consequences. Chemical carcinogen has been found to interact principally with a specific polypeptide in livers of normal rats. Short-term ingestion of carcinogen causes marked reductions in the concentrations of both the carcinogen:polypeptide complex and the polypeptide itself. This action and its consequences are unique in several ways. (a) Chemical carcinogen is directly involved in the event. (b) Three kinds of liver carcinogens act in this way: the aromatic amide, N-2-fluorenylacetamide (2-acetylaminofluorene); the aminoazo dye, 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene; and the amino acid analog, ethionine. (c) The interaction of chemical carcinogen with a specific polypeptide is involved. (d) Both the carcinogen:polypeptide complex and the polypeptide itself undergo marked reductions in concentration during hepatocarcinogenesis by the three types of carcinogens. (e) The consequences of the interaction are sensitive indicators unusually early during liver carcinogenesis. (f) The target polypeptide has a molecular weight of 14,700, similar to those of known polypeptide growth regulators.

Effects of heat on the centrosomes of Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary cells were heated either at 45.5 degrees for 15 min or at 42 degrees for 1 hr and then were either fixed immediately or allowed to recover at 37 degrees for intervals of up to 12 hr. In addition control cells and cells heated at 45.5 degrees for 15 min were immediately subjected to a cell fractionation procedure that yielded partially purified centrosome preparations. In 100% of the cells fixed and examined immediately after heating, the centrosomes were damaged. The osmiophilic cloud increased in density and became aggregated. The majority of the pericentriolar particles or virus-like particles disappeared, and in some cases the tubules of the wall of the centriole appeared disrupted. These changes were also noted in the much more abundant population of centrosomes in the partially purified cell fraction. Furthermore, in those cells heated at 45.5 degrees for 15 min, no recovery of the centrosomes or return of virus-like particles occurred even after incubation at 37 degrees for 12 hr.