Chemical and bioactive natural products from Microthyriaceae sp., an endophytic fungus from a tropical grass.

UNLABELLED: In screening for natural products with antiparasitic activity, an endophytic fungus, strain F2611, isolated from above-ground tissue of the tropical grass Paspalum conjugatum (Poaceae) in Panama, was chosen for bioactive principle elucidation. Cultivation on malt extract agar (MEA) followed by bioassay-guided chromatographic fractionation of the extract led to the isolation of the new polyketide integrasone B (1) and two known mycotoxins, sterigmatocystin (2) and secosterigmatocystin (3). Sterigmatocystin (2) was found to be the main antiparasitic compound in the fermentation extract of this fungus, possessing potent and selective antiparasitic activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of Chagas disease, with an IC50 value of 0.13 µmol l(-1) . Compounds 2 and 3 showed high cytotoxicity against Vero cells (IC50 of 0.06 and 0.97 µmol l(-1) , respectively). The new natural product integrasone B (1), which was co-purified from the active fractions, constitutes the second report of a natural product possessing an epoxyquinone with a lactone ring and exhibited no significant biological activity. Strain F2611 represents a previously undescribed taxon within the Microthyriaceae (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present study attributes new antiparasitic and psychoactive biological activities to sterigmatocystin (2), and describes the structure elucidation of the new natural product integrasone B (1), which possesses a rare epoxyquinone with a lactone ring moiety. This is also the first report of sterigmatocystin (2) isolation in a fungal strain from this family, broadening the taxonomic range of sterigmatocystin-producing fungi. The study also presents taxonomic analyses indicating that strain F2611 is strongly supported as a member of the Microthyriaceae (Ascomycota), but is not a member of any previously known or sequenced genus.

Inhibition and reversal of a TGF-ß1 induced myofibroblast phenotype by adipose tissue-derived paracrine factors.

BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic scarring results from myofibroblast differentiation and persistence during wound healing. Currently no effective treatment for hypertrophic scarring exists however, autologous fat grafting has been shown to improve scar elasticity, appearance, and function. The aim of this study was to understand how paracrine factors from adipose tissues and adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSC) affect fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation. METHODS: The transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) induced model of myofibroblast differentiation was used to test the effect of conditioned media from adipose tissue, ADSC or lipid on the proportion of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. RESULTS: Adipose tissue conditioned media inhibited the differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts but this inhibition was not observed following treatment with ADSC or lipid conditioned media. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was readily detected in the conditioned medium from adipose tissue but not ADSC. Cells treated with HGF, or fortinib to block HGF, demonstrated that HGF was not responsible for the inhibition of myofibroblast differentiation. Conditioned media from adipose tissue was shown to reduce the proportion of myofibroblasts when added to fibroblasts previously treated with TGF-ß1, however, conditioned media treatment was unable to significantly reduce the proportion of myofibroblasts in cell populations isolated from scar tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Cultured ADSC or adipocytes have been the focus of most studies, however, this work highlights the importance of considering whole adipose tissue to further our understanding of fat grafting. This study supports the use of autologous fat grafts for scar treatment and highlights the need for further investigation to determine the mechanism.

Detection of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene-induced H-ras codon 61 mutant genes in preneoplastic SENCAR mouse skin using a new PCR-RFLP method.

One of the key events in tumor initiation in mouse skin is mutational activation of the H-ras gene. Papillomas induced by the most carcinogenic environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P), in SENCAR mouse skin contain a specific H-ras codon 61 (CAA-->CTA) mutation. We describe here detection of these mutations in preneoplastic skin by measuring the frequency of an induced XbaI RFLP, created by the mutation. Development of the PCR-XbaI RFLP method, sensitive enough to detect 1 codon 61 mutant allele among 10,000 wild-type genes, is described. The results indicate that codon 61 mutations are induced 1 day (0.1%) after DB[a,l]P treatment on mouse skin, reach a high value (5%) by day 3, rapidly decline between days 7-9 and increase again during the clonal expansion of pre-papillomas into tumors. The detection of codon 61 mutations 1 day after DB[a,l]P exposure suggests that mutations occurred by pre-replication misrepair.

Evidence that a burst of DNA depurination in SENCAR mouse skin induces error-prone repair and forms mutations in the H-ras gene.

Treatment of SENCAR mouse skin with dibenzo[a,l]pyrene results in abundant formation of abasic sites that undergo error-prone excision repair, forming oncogenic H-ras mutations in the early preneoplastic period. To examine whether the abundance of abasic sites causes repair infidelity, we treated SENCAR mouse skin with estradiol-3,4-quinone (E(2)-3,4-Q) and determined adduct levels 1 h after treatment, as well as mutation spectra in the H-ras gene between 6 h and 3 days after treatment. E(2)-3,4-Q formed predominantly (> or =99%) the rapidly-depurinating 4-hydroxy estradiol (4-OHE(2))-1-N3Ade adduct and the slower-depurinating 4-OHE(2)-1-N7Gua adduct. Between 6 h and 3 days, E(2)-3,4-Q induced abundant A to G mutations in H-ras DNA, frequently in the context of a 3'-G residue. Using a T.G-DNA glycosylase (TDG)-PCR assay, we determined that the early A to G mutations (6 and 12 h) were in the form of G.T heteroduplexes, suggesting misrepair at A-specific depurination sites. Since G-specific mutations were infrequent in the spectra, it appears that the slow rate of depurination of the N7Gua adducts during active repair may not generate a threshold level of G-specific abasic sites to affect repair fidelity. These results also suggest that E(2)-3,4-Q, a suspected endogenous carcinogen, is a genotoxic compound and could cause mutations.

Tumorigenicity of 6-halogenated derivatives of benzo[a]pyrene in mouse skin and rat mammary gland.

Studies of the tumorigenicity of 6-halogenated derivatives of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) can provide evidence about the role of the 6 position in the carcinogenic activation of BP. Female Swiss and A-strain mice were treated on the skin with BP, 6-fluorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-FBP), 6-chlorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-C1BP), 6-bromobenzo[a]pyrene (6-BrBP) and 6-iodobenzo[a]pyrene (6-IBP) by repeated application, and in some cases by initiation-promotion. While BP was more potent than 6-FBP, only these two compounds exhibits tumor-initiating and carcinogenic activity in mouse skin. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with BP, 6-FBP, 6-ClBP, and 6-BrBP by intramammillary injection. BP and 6-FBP induced high levels of mammary epithelial tumors and fibrosarcomas. 6-ClBP elicited only a high percentage of fibrosarcomas, whereas 6-BrBP induced a few adenocarcinomas. These results indicate that chloro or bromo substitution at C-6 in BP reduces or eliminates carcinogenic activity. Conversely, 6-FBP, from which the fluoro substituent has been chemically and metabolically removed by one-electron oxidation, displays a moderate carcinogenic activity which is consistent with activation by either one-electron oxidation or monooxygenation.

Tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin and carcinogenicity in rat mammary gland of fluorinated derivatives of benzo[a]pyrene and 3-methylcholanthrene.

Comparative studies of tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin and carcinogenicity in rat mammary gland were conducted with benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) derivatives. SENCAR mice were initiated with BP, 6-fluorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-FBP), 6-methylBP, 7-FBP, 8-FBP, 9-FBP, 10-FBP, or 10-azaBP and promoted with tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate. The same compounds plus BP 7,8-dihydrodiol were tested by intramammillary injection in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Tumor-initiating activity in mice and/or carcinogenicity in rats were observed for BP, 6-methylBP, 6-, 7-, 8-, and 10-FBP, whereas 9-FBP was inactive in both experiments and 10-azaBP was only marginally active in the mammary gland. BP 7,8-dihydrodiol was carcinogenic in rat mammary gland, although it was less potent than BP. MC, 8-FMC, 10-FMC, and 3-methylcholanthrylene were also tested in Sprague-Dawley rats by intramammillary injection. All compounds were carcinogenic, with MC displaying the most potent activity. The less potent carcinogenic activity of BP 7,8-dihydrodiol in the mammary gland, compared with BP, and the moderate-to-weak tumor-initiating and/or carcinogenic activity of 7-, 8-, and 10-FBP suggest that the bay-region diol-epoxide pathway does not play a significant role in the activation of BP in these two target tissues. Similarly, the carcinogenic activity of 8-FMC and 10-FMC, in which the bay-region diol-epoxide pathway is blocked, suggests that this mechanism of activation is not important in the carcinogenicity of MC in rat mammary gland.

Tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin and carcinogenicity in rat mammary gland of dibenzo[a]pyrenes: the very potent environmental carcinogen dibenzo[a, l]pyrene.

Comparative studies of tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin and carcinogenicity in rat mammary gland were conducted with several dibenzo[a]-pyrenes (DBPs). SENCAR mice were initiated with DB[a, e]P, DB[a, h]P, DB[a, i]P, DB[a, l]P and anthanthrene, and promoted with tetradecanoyl-phorbol acetate. The same compounds were tested by intramammillary injection in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Anthanthrene was inactive in both mouse skin and rat mammary gland. DB[a, e]P was a very weak tumor-initiator in mouse skin and was inactive in rat mammary gland. DB[a, h]P induced twice as many papillomas in mouse skin as DB[a, i]P, although both compounds exhibited similar tumor latencies and percentages of tumor-bearing mice. These two compounds induced similar numbers of mammary tumors, but treatment of the rats with DB[a, i]P resulted in a significantly larger number of adenocarcinomas. DB[a, l]P was toxic to both the mice and rats. Treatment of mouse skin with this compound led to an erythema, which delayed the beginning of promotion until the 3rd week after initiation. Despite this delay, papillomas began appearing 5 weeks after initiation with DB[a, l]P and the number of tumors increased rapidly. The compound was so toxic in the rats that half of the animals died in the first 9 weeks and the remaining animals were sacrificed after 15 weeks. Nonetheless, DB[a, l]P was the strongest carcinogen tested, inducing seven tumors per rat within 10 weeks. These results demonstrate that DB[a, l]P, which is present in tobacco smoke, is an extremely potent carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbon. Furthermore, some of these compounds can serve as useful models for elucidating their mechanisms of activation.

Tumor-initiating activity and carcinogenicity of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene versus 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene at low doses in mouse skin.

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) is an extremely potent carcinogen that may be present in environmental samples. Dose-response studies were conducted at low doses in mouse skin by initiation-promotion and repeated application to compare its activity to that of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), DB[a,l]P-8,9-dihydrodiol and DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol. Female SENCAR mice were initiated with 1 or 0.25 nmol of DB[a,l]P, DMBA, B[a]P or DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol and promoted with phorbol ester acetate. At 1 nmol, DB[a,l]P induced 2.6 tumors/mouse, whereas DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol and DMBA induced 0.17 and 0.29 tumors/mouse respectively. At the low dose, DB[a,l]P induced 0.79 tumors/mouse, but the other two compounds were virtually inactive. B[a]P, tested only at 1 nmol, was inactive. These three compounds, as well as DB[a,l]P-8,9-dihydrodiol, were tested by repeated application twice weekly for 40 weeks at 1 and 4 nmol per dose. In addition, DB[a,l]P, DMBA and B[a]P were also tested at 8 nmol. At 8 and 4 nmol, DB[a,l]P induced malignant tumors in 91 and 70% of mice respectively. At 4 nmol DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol elicited only benign tumors in 36% of mice. At 4 nmol DMBA induced two carcinomas in one mouse and at 8 nmol it induced one papilloma and one sebaceous gland adenoma. B[a]P and DB[a,l]P-8,9-dihydrodiol were inactive at all doses tested. These results demonstrate that DB[a,l]P is a much more potent carcinogen than DMBA, the aromatic hydrocarbon previously considered to be the most potent. Combination of these results with previous comparisons of DB[a,l]P, DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol, DMBA and B[a]P at higher doses (E.L. Cavalieri et al. (1991) Carcinogenesis, 12, 1939-1944) shows clearly the interference of toxicity with the tumorigenicity of DB[a,l]P and its 11,12-dihydrodiol.

Inflammatory response of mouse skin exposed to the very potent carcinogen dibenzo[a,l]pyrene: a model for tumor promotion.

The potent carcinogenicity of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene in mouse skin is associated with an inflammation unique among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and expressed as erythema. The time course of erythema and the associated histological events in the skin of female SENCAR mice were determined after a single application of 6.25-200 nmol dibenzo[a,l]pyrene or selected metabolites. Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene-11,12-dihydrodiol, precursor to the bay-region diol epoxide, induced an erythema first present 5-6 days after treatment. Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene-8,9-dihydrodiol and other dibenzo[a, l]pyrene metabolites, however, did not induce erythema. These findings suggest a central role for the bay-region diol epoxide in the induction of the observed inflammation. The intensity and duration of erythema were dose-dependent, whereas the delayed appearance of erythema was constant and dose-independent. These results suggest induction of an immune hypersensitivity by dibenzo[a, l]pyrene and its 11,12-dihydrodiol. Histological changes in the skin were consistent with a contact hypersensitivity reaction and included, in association with erythema, epidermal hyperplasia and the presence of mononuclear leukocytes in the dermis. Animals were tested for dibenzo[a,l]pyrene-induced contact hypersensitivity. Female SENCAR mice were treated with a single dermal application of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene or 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. Five days later, the animals were challenged with a single application of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene or 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene to the ear pinna. Ear swelling exhibited features of a contact hypersensitivity reaction, including (1) delayed appearance after challenge, (2) noninducibility in animals not previously exposed to chemical sensitizer, and (3) chemical specificity. The results suggest that dibenzo[a,l]pyrene induces, via its bay-region diol epoxide, a contact hypersensitivity reaction that may promote tumor development and thereby enhance carcinogenic potency.

Comparative dose-response tumorigenicity studies of dibenzo[alpha,l]pyrene versus 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene, benzo[alpha]pyrene and two dibenzo[alpha,l]pyrene dihydrodiols in mouse skin and rat mammary gland.

Comparative studies were conducted of the tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin and carcinogenicity in rat mammary gland of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) versus 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA), the most potent recognized carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH); benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), the most potent recognized carcinogenic environmental PAH; DB[a,l]P 8,9-dihydrodiol, the K-region dihydrodiol; and DB[a,l]P 11,12-dihydrodiol, precursor to the bay-region diolepoxide. The tumor-initiating activity of DB[a,l]P and B[a]P was compared in the skin of female SENCAR mice at doses of 300, 100 and 33.3 nmol. The mice were promoted with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) twice-weekly for 13 weeks. DB[a,l]P at all doses induced significantly more tumors than B[a]P at the corresponding dose, with a significantly shorter latency. Subsequently, the tumor-initiating activity of DB[a,l]P was compared in the skin of female SENCAR mice to that of DMBA, B[a]P, DB[a,l]P 8,9-dihydrodiol and DB[a,l]P 11,12-dihydrodiol at doses of 100, 20 and 4 nmol. The mice were promoted with TPA twice-weekly for 24 weeks. In addition, groups of mice were initiated with 100 nmol of DB[a,l]P, DMBA, B[a]P, DB[a,l]P 8,9-dihydrodiol or DB[a,l]P 11,12-dihydrodiol and kept without promotion. This experiment showed that in the mouse skin, DB[a,l]P and DB[a,l]P 11,12-dihydrodiol displayed similar tumor-initiating activity with a response inversely proportional to the dose, presumably due to the toxicity of the compounds. At the high dose they elicited tumors earlier than DMBA, though DMBA produced a much higher tumor multiplicity. At the low dose, DMBA, DB[a,l]P and DB[a,l]P 11,12-dihydrodiol exhibited similar tumorigenicities. DB[a,l]P 8,9-dihydrodiol was a marginal tumor initiator. Once again, DB[a,l]P was by far a much stronger tumor initiator than B[a]P. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 1.0 or 0.25 mumol of DB[a,l]P, DMBA or B[a]P by intramammillary injection at eight teats. DB[a,l]P at both doses was a more potent carcinogen than DMBA at the corresponding dose in the rat mammary gland. B[a]P was a marginal mammary carcinogen, eliciting only a few fibrosarcomas. Thus, these data suggest that DB[a,l]P is the strongest PAH carcinogen ever tested.

Imbalance of estrogen homeostasis in kidney and liver of hamsters treated with estradiol: implications for estrogen-induced initiation of renal tumors.

Reaction of endogenous catechol estrogen quinones (CE-Q) with DNA may initiate cancer by generation of oncogenic mutations. Treatment of male Syrian golden hamsters with estrogens or 4-catechol estrogens (4-CE), but not 2-CE, induces kidney, but not liver, tumors. The hamster provides an excellent model for studying activation and deactivation (protection) of estrogen metabolites in relation to formation of CE-Q. Several factors can unbalance estrogen homeostasis, thereby increasing the oxidative pathway leading to the carcinogenic CE-3,4-Q. Hamsters were injected with 8 micromol of estradiol (E(2)), and liver and kidney extracts were analyzed for 31 estrogen metabolites, conjugates, and depurinating DNA adducts by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Neither liver nor kidney contained 4-methoxyCE, presumably due to the known inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase by 2-CE. More O-methylation of 2-CE was observed in the liver and more formation of CE-Q in the kidney. These results suggest less protective methylation of 2-CE and more pronounced oxidation of CE to CE-Q in the kidney. To investigate this further, hamsters were pretreated with L-buthionine(S,R)-sulfoximine to deplete glutathione levels and then treated with E(2). Compared to the liver, a very low level of CE and methoxyCE was observed in the kidney, suggesting little protective reductase activity. Most importantly, reaction of CE-3,4-Q with DNA to form the depurinating 4-hydroxyE(2)(E(1))-1-N7Gua adducts was detected in the kidney, but not in the liver. Therefore, tumor initiation in the kidney appears to arise from relatively poor methylation of 2-CE and poor reductase activity in the kidney, resulting in high levels of CE-Q. Thus, formation of depurinating DNA adducts by CE-3,4-Q may be the first critical event in the initiation of estrogen-induced kidney tumors.

Identification and quantitation of 7-(benzo[a]pyren-6-yl)guanine in the urine and feces of rats treated with benzo[a]pyrene.

The major identified benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-DNA adduct formed by cytochrome P-450 contains BP bound at the C-6 position to the N-7 position of guanine (BP-N7Gua). This adduct is rapidly depurinated from DNA. When rats were treated with [14C]BP, about 0.02% of the administered dose of BP was excreted as BP-N7Gua in feces and urine within 5 days. Chloroform extracts of the urine and feces were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The structure of the adduct was established by cochromatography with electrochemically prepared BP-N7Gua and by fluorescence line narrowing spectrometry. This study represents the first demonstration that BP-N7Gua is formed in vivo in animals treated with BP.

Analysis of potential biomarkers of estrogen-initiated cancer in the urine of Syrian golden hamsters treated with 4-hydroxyestradiol.

Estrone (E1) and 17beta-estradiol (E2) are metabolized to catechol estrogens (CE), which may be oxidized to semiquinones and quinones (CE-Q). CE-Q can react with glutathione (GSH) and DNA, or be reduced to CE. In particular, CE-3,4-Q react with DNA to form depurinating adducts (N7Gua and N3Ade), which are cleaved from DNA to leave behind apurinic sites. We report the determination of 22 estrogen metabolites, conjugates and adducts in the urine of male Syrian golden hamsters treated with 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2). After initial purification, urine samples were analyzed by HPLC with multichannel electrochemical detection and by capillary HPLC/tandem mass spectrometry. 4-Hydroxyestrogen-2-cysteine [4-OHE1(E2)-2-Cys] and N-acetylcysteine [4-OHE1(E2)-2-NAcCys] conjugates, as well as the methoxy CE, were identified and quantified by HPLC, whereas the 4-OHE1(E2)-1-N7Gua depurinating adducts and 4-OHE1(E2)-2-SG conjugates could only be identified by the mass spectrometry method. Most of the administered 4-OHE2 was metabolically converted to 4-OHE1. Formation of thioether (GSH, Cys and NAcCys) conjugates and depurinating adducts [4-OHE1(E2)-1-N7Gua] indicates that oxidation of 4-CE to CE-3,4-Q and subsequent reaction with GSH and DNA, respectively, do occur. The major conjugates in the urine were 4-OHE1(E2)-2-NACCYS: The oxidative pathway of 4-OHE1(E2) accounted for approximately twice the level of products compared with those from the methylation pathway. The metabolites and methoxy CE were excreted predominantly (>90%) as glucuronides, whereas the thioether conjugates were not further conjugated. These results provide strong evidence that exposure to 4-OHE1(E2) leads to the formation of E1(E2)-3,4-Q and, subsequently, depurinating DNA adducts. This process is a putative tumor initiating event. The estrogen metabolites, conjugates and adducts can be used as biomarkers for detecting enzymatic oxidation of estrogens to reactive electrophilic metabolites and possible susceptibility to estrogen-induced cancer.

Identification and quantitation of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-DNA adducts formed in mouse skin.

Identification and quantitation of the depurination and stable DNA adducts of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) formed by cytochrome P450 in rat liver microsomes previously established one-electron oxidation as the predominant mechanism of activation of DMBA to bind to DNA. In this paper we report the identification and quantitation of the depurination and stable DMBA-DNA adducts formed in mouse skin. The depurination adducts, which constitute 99% of all the adducts detected, are DMBA bound at the 12-methyl group to the N-7 of adenine or guanine, namely, 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene (MBA)-12-CH2-N7Ade and 7-MBA-12-CH2-N7Gua. The depurination adducts were identified by HPLC and fluorescence line narrowing spectroscopy. The stable DNA adducts were analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling method. Almost 4 times as much of the depurination adduct 7-MBA-12-CH2-N7Ade (79%) was formed compared to 7-MBA-12-CH2-N7Gua (20%). The stable adducts accounted for only 1% of all the adducts detected and 80% of these were formed from DMBA diolepoxide. The binding of DMBA to DNA specifically at the 12-CH3 group is consistent with the results of carcinogenicity experiments in which this group plays a key role. When DMBA was bound to RNA or denatured DNA in reactions catalyzed by microsomes or by horseradish peroxidase (HRP), no depurination DNA adducts of DMBA were detected. The amount of stable DNA adducts observed with denatured DNA was 70% lower in the HRP system and 30% lower in the microsomal system compared to native DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Expanded analysis of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts formed in vitro and in mouse skin: their significance in tumor initiation.

This paper reports expanded analyses of benzo[a]pyrene (BP)-DNA adducts formed in vitro by activation with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or 3-methylcholanthrene-induced rat liver microsomes and in vivo in mouse skin. The adducts formed by BP are compared to those formed by BP-7,8-dihydrodiol and anti-BP diol epoxide (BPDE). First, activation of BP by HRP produced 61% depurinating adducts: 7-(benzo[a]pyrene-6-yl)guanine (BP-6-N7Gua), BP-6-C8Gua, BP-6-N7Ade, and the newly identified BP-6-N3Ade. As a standard, the last adduct was synthesized along with BP-6-N1Ade by electrochemical oxidation of BP in the presence of adenine. Second, identification and quantitation of BP-DNA adducts formed by microsomal activation of BP showed 68% depurinating adducts: BP-6-N7Ade, BP-6-N7Gua, BP-6-C8Gua, BPDE-10-N7Ade, and the newly detected BPDE-10-N7Gua. The stable adducts were mostly BPDE-10-N2dG (26%), with 6% unidentified. BPDE-10-N7Ade and BPDE-10-N7Gua were the depurinating adducts identified after microsomal activation of BP-7, 8-dihydrodiol or direct reaction of anti-BPDE with DNA. In both cases, the predominant adduct was BPDE-10-N2dG (90% and 96%, respectively). Third, when mouse skin was treated with BP for 4 h, 71% of the total adducts were the depurinating adducts BP-6-N7Gua, BP-6-C8Gua, BP-6-N7Ade, and small amounts of BPDE-10-N7Ade and BPDE-10-N7Gua. These newly detected depurinating diol epoxide adducts were found in larger amounts when mouse skin was treated with BP-7,8-dihydrodiol or anti-BPDE. The stable adduct BPDE-10-N2dG was predominant, especially with anti-BPDE. Comparison of the profiles of DNA adducts formed by BP, BP-7,8-dihydrodiol, and anti-BPDE with their carcinogenic potency indicates that tumor initiation correlates with the levels of depurinating adducts, but not with stable adducts. Furthermore, the levels of depurinating adducts of BP correlate with mutations in the Harvey-ras oncogene in DNA isolated from mouse skin papillomas initiated by this compound [Chakravarti et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 10422-10426]. The depurinating adducts formed by BP in mouse skin appear to be the key adducts leading to tumor initiation.

Depurinating and stable benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts formed in isolated rat liver nuclei.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are bound to DNA by two major pathways, one-electron oxidation and monooxygenation, to form adducts that are stable in DNA under normal conditions of isolation and depurinating adducts that are released from DNA by cleavage of the bond between the purine base and deoxyribose. Isolated rat liver nuclei have been used as an in vitro model for studying covalent binding of aromatic hydrocarbons to DNA, but the depurinating adducts formed by nuclei have not been identified or compared to those formed by the more commonly used rat liver microsomes. To examine the profiles of stable and depurinating adducts, nuclei from the livers of 3-methylcholanthrene-induced male MRC Wistar rats were incubated with [3H]benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and NADPH. Three depurinating adducts, 8-(BP-6-yl)Gua, 7-(BP-6-yl)Gua, and 7-(BP-6-yl)Ade, were obtained from the nuclei, as seen previously with rat liver microsomes or in mouse skin. The profile of stable adducts analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling method was qualitatively similar to that found in the microsomal activation of BP or in mouse skin treated with BP. Low-temperature fluorescence studies of the nuclear DNA revealed the presence of stable BP adducts originating from syn- and anti-BP diol epoxide.

Synthesis and tumor-initiating activity in mouse skin of dibenzo[a,l]pyrene syn- and anti-fjord-region diolepoxides.

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) is the most potent carcinogen among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Because the fjord-region diolepoxide (DE) pathway is one of the mechanisms of activation, (+/)-trans-DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol, (+/-)-anti-DB[a,l]PDE and (+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]PDE were synthesized. The key intermediate for these syntheses, 12-methoxy-DB[a,l]P, was successfully obtained by cyclization of 6-(3-methoxybenzyl)benzanthrone with methanesulfonic acid, which in turn was prepared by 1,4 conjugate addition of 3-methoxybenzyl magnesium bromide to benzanthrone. The presence of the DB[a,l]P nucleus in the dihydrodiolepoxides and diolepoxides was proven by conversion of 12-methoxyDB[a,l]P into the parent compound in several steps. The tumor-initiating activity of the two diolepoxides in mouse skin was compared to that of DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol and the parent DB[a,l]P. Groups of 24 8 week old female SENCAR mice were topically initiated with 12, 4 or 1.33 nmol of compound in 100 microliters of acetone. Starting 1 week later, promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (1.62 nmol in 100 microliters acetone) was begun and continued twice weekly for 30 weeks. At the 12, 4 and 1.33 nmol doses, anti-DB[a,l]PDE induced 2.0, 0.7 and 0.7 tumors per mouse (t/m) respectively, whereas syn-DB[a,l]PDE induced 1.8, 1.5 and 1.8 t/m. At the same three doses, DB[a,l]P-11,12-dihydrodiol induced 4.6, 4.3 and 2.8 t/m, and DB[a,l]P resulted in 9.3, 7.1 and 5.2 t/m. These results confirm that DB[a,l]P is more potent than its 11,12-dihydrodiol and show that the two diolepoxides are less tumorigenic than their precursors. At the medium and low doses, syn-DB[a,l]PDE is more tumorigenic than its congener anti-DB[a,l]PDE.

Identification and quantitation of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts formed in mouse skin.

The DNA adducts of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) formed in vitro were previously identified and quantitated. In this paper, we report the identification and quantitation of the depurination adducts of BP, 8-(benzo[a]pyren-6-yl)guanine (BP-6-C8Gua), BP-6-N7Gua, and BP-6-N7Ade, formed in mouse skin by one-electron oxidation, as well as the major stable adduct formed via the diolepoxide pathway, BP diolepoxide bound at C-10 to the 2-amino of dG (BPDE-10-N2dG). Identification of the depurination adducts was achieved by HPLC and fluorescence line narrowing spectroscopy. The depurination adducts, BP-6-C8Gua (34%), BP-6-N7Gua (10%), and BP-6-N7Ade (30%), constituted 74% of the adducts found in mouse skin 4 h after treatment with BP. The stable adduct BPDE-10-N2dG accounted for 22% of the adducts. Treatment of the skin with BP-7,8-dihydrodiol or BP diolepoxide yielded almost exclusively the stable adduct BPDE-10-N2dG. When BP or BP-7,8-dihydrodiol was bound to RNA or denatured DNA in reactions catalyzed by rat liver microsomes, no depurination adducts were detected. The profiles of stable adducts were similar both qualitatively and quantitatively with native or denatured DNA. With activation of BP by horseradish peroxidase, the profiles of stable adducts differed with native and denatured DNA. The total amount of adducts with denatured DNA was only 25% of the amount detected with native DNA. No depurination adducts were detected with denatured DNA or RNA in the peroxidase system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Molecular origin of cancer: catechol estrogen-3,4-quinones as endogenous tumor initiators.

Cancer is a disease that begins with mutation of critical genes: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Our research on carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons indicates that depurinating hydrocarbon-DNA adducts generate oncogenic mutations found in mouse skin papillomas (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:10422, 1995). These mutations arise by mis-replication of unrepaired apurinic sites derived from the loss of depurinating adducts. This relationship led us to postulate that oxidation of the carcinogenic 4-hydroxy catechol estrogens (CE) of estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) to catechol estrogen-3,4-quinones (CE-3, 4-Q) results in electrophilic intermediates that covalently bind to DNA to form depurinating adducts. The resultant apurinic sites in critical genes can generate mutations that may initiate various human cancers. The noncarcinogenic 2-hydroxy CE are oxidized to CE-2,3-Q and form only stable DNA adducts. As reported here, the CE-3,4-Q were bound to DNA in vitro to form the depurinating adduct 4-OHE1(E2)-1(alpha,beta)-N7Gua at 59-213 micromol/mol DNA-phosphate whereas the level of stable adducts was 0.1 micromol/mol DNA-phosphate. In female Sprague-Dawley rats treated by intramammillary injection of E2-3,4-Q (200 nmol) at four mammary glands, the mammary tissue contained 2.3 micromol 4-OHE2-1(alpha, beta)-N7Gua/molDNA-phosphate. When 4-OHE1(E2) were activated by horseradish peroxidase, lactoperoxidase, or cytochrome P450, 87-440 micromol of 4-OHE1(E2)-1(alpha, beta)-N7Gua was formed. After treatment with 4-OHE2, rat mammary tissue contained 1.4 micromol of adduct/mol DNA-phosphate. In each case, the level of stable adducts was negligible. These results, complemented by other data, strongly support the hypothesis that CE-3,4-Q are endogenous tumor initiators.