Nitric oxide and TNF-alpha trigger colonic inflammation and carcinogenesis in Helicobacter hepaticus-infected, Rag2-deficient mice.

Recombinase-activating gene-2-deficient (Rag2(-/-)) mice lacking functional lymphocytes provide a useful model of chronic inflammatory bowel disease-emulating events in human colon cancer. Infection of Rag2(-/-) mice with Helicobacter hepaticus led to accumulation of macrophages and neutrophils in the colon, a process temporally related to up-regulation of tissue inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression at the site of infection and increased nitric oxide (NO) production, as evidenced by urinary excretion of nitrate. Progressive development of increasingly severe inflammation, hyperplasia, dysplasia, and cancer accompanied these changes. Concurrent administration of an iNOS inhibitor prevented NO production and abrogated epithelial pathology and inhibited the onset of cancer. The presence of Gr-1(+) neutrophils and elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression in colon were required for increased iNOS expression and cancer, whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) down-regulated TNF-alpha and iNOS expression and suppressed cancer. Anti-inflammatory CD4(+) regulatory lymphocytes also down-regulated iNOS and reduced cancer formation. Collectively, these results confirm essential roles for inflammation, increased TNF-alpha expression, and elevated NO production in colon carcinogenesis.

Aflatoxin P-1: a new aflatoxin metabolite in monkeys.

A new phenolic derivative of aflatoxin B(1), appearing mainly in conjugated form, was identified as the principal urinary metabolite of aflatoxin B(1) in rhesus monkeys. Its identification in human urine might facilitate estimation of aflatoxin exposure in human populations.

Salt-induced conversion of B-DNA to Z-DNA inhibited by aflatoxin B1.

The carcinogen aflatoxin B1 was reacted with a polymer of alternating deoxyguanine and deoxycytosine residues to determine the effect that adduct formation has on the conversion of this polymer from the right-handed B-DNA form found at low salt concentrations to the left-handed Z-DNA form found at high salt concentrations. Reaction with aflatoxin strongly inhibited the salt-induced conversion of this polymer from B-DNA to Z-DNA. This inhibition could be detected even at relatively low binding levels.

Aflatoxin B1: binding to DNA in vitro and alteration of RNA metabolism in vivo.

Aflatoxin B(1) binds to both native and denatured DNA, as shown by spectroscopy and equilibrium dialysis. It also strongly inhibits incorporation of cytidine into rat liver nuclear RNA and lowers the RNA content of the nucleus. The extremle toxicity and carcinogenicity of aflatoxin B(1) may be direct results of the affinity of this agent for DNA.

Rapid and marked inhibition of rat-liver RNA polymerase by aflatoxin B-1.

From 15 minutes to 2 hours after the administration of aflatoxin B(1) invivo there is a 35-to 70-percent inhibition of DNA-directed RNA synthesis. The inhibition was reversed 12 and 24 hours later.

Interleukin-22 drives nitric oxide-dependent DNA damage and dysplasia in a murine model of colitis-associated cancer.

The risk of colon cancer is increased in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Inflammation-induced DNA damage could be an important link between inflammation and cancer, although the pathways that link inflammation and DNA damage are incompletely defined. RAG2-deficient mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus (Hh) develop colitis that progresses to lower bowel cancer. This process depends on nitric oxide (NO), a molecule with known mutagenic potential. We have previously hypothesized that production of NO by macrophages could be essential for Hh-driven carcinogenesis, however, whether Hh infection induces DNA damage in this model and whether this depends on NO has not been determined. Here we demonstrate that Hh infection of RAG2-deficient mice rapidly induces expression of iNOS and the development of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) specifically in proliferating crypt epithelial cells. Generation of DSBs depended on iNOS activity, and further, induction of iNOS, the generation of DSBs, and the subsequent development of dysplasia were inhibited by depletion of the Hh-induced cytokine IL-22. These results demonstrate a strong association between Hh-induced DNA damage and the development of dysplasia, and further suggest that IL-22-dependent induction of iNOS within crypt epithelial cells rather than macrophages is a driving force in this process.

Quantitative comparison of covalent aflatoxin-DNA adducts formed in rat and mouse livers and kidneys.

The covalent interactions between aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and DNA were investigated in the inbred F344 rat and noninbred CD -1 Swiss mouse. A good correlation was found between the level of covalent modification of DNA, species sensitivity, and organ specificity, to the toxic effects of AFB1. The patterns of AFB1 acid hydrolysis products from DNA isolated from the livers and kidneys of both species were examined. The principal acid hydrolysis product in all cases was identified as 2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxy-(N7-guanyl)AFB1. Minor products consisted of adducts formed by the chemical transformation of the AFB1-N7-substituted guanine moiety forming putative formamidopyrimidine derivatives and the activation of AFB1 metabolites, which also modified the N-7 guanine atom. These last-mentioned products were present in greater amounts in resistant tissues. In vitro studies on the activation of AFB1 by microsomal fractions of mouse and rat livers found that mouse liver microsomes were rapidly inactivated.

Aflatoxins as risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in humans.

On a global basis, primary liver cancer (PLC) is a very prevalent form of cancer. Wide variation of PLC incidence in different areas of the world suggests the involvement of environmental factors in its etiology. Two major classes of risk factors have been identified. Extensive evidence indicates the importance of infection by the hepatitis B virus as a major risk factor for PLC. Because many organic chemicals induce liver cancer in experimental animals, those to which human exposure is known to occur are also of interest with respect to their possible involvement as risk factors for PLC. Particular emphasis has been placed on aflatoxins because of the frequency with which they occur as food contaminants, together with their potency as liver carcinogens for a large number of experimental animals, including subhuman primates. Other mycotoxins, notably sterigmatocystin and fumonisin, also are relatively potent carcinogens for the liver of animals, but little is known about human exposure to them. Epidemiological surveys carried out over the past 25 years in Asia and Africa have revealed a strong statistical association between aflatoxin ingestion and PLC incidence. The combined experimental and epidemiological evidence has led to designation of aflatoxins as human carcinogens according to International Agency for Cancer Research criteria. Collectively, current evidence strongly suggests that PLC is of multifactorial origin, with probable interactions between viral and chemical agents in populations concurrently exposed to both classes of risk factors. Recently developed methods that permit individual monitoring of aflatoxin exposure, hepatitis B virus infection, and genetic damage caused by these agents are being applied in the design of molecular and biochemical epidemiological studies of the etiology of the disease. Application of this methodology may contribute to elucidation of the relative importance of interacting etiological agents in different populations.

Dietary factors and special epidemiological situations of liver cancer in Thailand and Africa.

Incidence patterns of primary liver cancer in Swaziland and Uganda have been compared with frequency of contamination of dietary staples by aflatoxins. Geographical regions or tribal groups with elevated cancer incidence were associated with increased frequency of contamination. In further studies, aflatoxin ingestion has been quantitatively measured in populations in Thailand, Kenya, and Mozambique, in subgroups of which the incidence of primary liver cancer varied over a wide range. In each instance, elevated cancer incidence was associated with highest levels of aflatoxin intake. In view of the potency of these compounds as liver carcinogens in many animal species, these data collectively suggest that the aflatoxins are also carcinogenic for man and that regular ingestion of foods heavily contaminated with aflatoxins increases the risk of liver cancer in human populations.

Quantitative and qualitative characterization of aflatoxin B1 adducts formed in vivo within the ribosomal RNA genes of rat liver DNA.

We have examined the time course and patterns of covalent aflatoxin B1:DNA adducts produced within the ribosomal RNA gene sequences isolated from the liver nuclear DNA of aflatoxin B1-treated animals. Liver nuclear DNA was initially enriched in ribosomal DNA by cesium salt density centrifugation, and incubated under alkaline conditions to stabilize bound aflatoxin B1-DNA moieties. Alkali-treated DNA was hybridized to 18S and 28S rRNA, and the RNA:DNA hybrids were recovered by cesium chloride centrifugation. Ribosomal DNA sequences within nuclear DNA were found to be preferential targets for aflatoxin B1 modification. Over a 12-h period after administration of 1-mg [3H]aflatoxin B1/kg dose ribosomal DNA contained 4 to 5 times more aflatoxin B1 residues per mg DNA than did total nuclear DNA. Aflatoxin B1 residues bound to ribosomal DNA were also found to be removed more rapidly than from total nuclear DNA by a factor of 5.7 over the 12-h period postdosing. Levels of the principal aflatoxin B1 adduct, 2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxy(N7-guanyl)aflatoxin B1, as well as the stable formamidopyrimidine derivatives of the parent adduct were also determined. Nuclear DNA isolates were heated to induce depurination of the principal N7-guanine adduct, and differences in adduct levels between alkali-treated (stabilized) and depurinated DNA samples were taken as an approximation of initial levels of this aflatoxin B1:DNA moiety in ribosomal isolates. No differences in the proportions of these aflatoxin B1:DNA adduct species were found in ribosomal as compared to total nuclear DNA, and we conclude that the preferential formation and removal of aflatoxin B1:DNA moieties within ribosomal DNA is not associated with a pattern of adducts qualitatively different from that in total nuclear DNA.

Species comparison of in vitro metabolism of aflatoxin B1.

The metabolism of [14C]aflatoxin B1 by 9000 X g supernatant fraction of livers of duck, rat, mouse, monkey, and humans was compared by incubating the compound and liver fractions in the presence of cofactors and air for 30 min. The incubation medium was extracted with chloroform, and the soluble metabolites were separated on thinlayer plates and quantified; radioactivity remaining in the aqueous phase was determined in order to quantify metabolism to water-soluble derivatives. Duck, monkey, and human livers were most active in total conversion, each metabolizing approximately 80% of available substrate in 30 min. Rat and mouse livers had lower activites, metabolizing 15 to 20%. Duck liver produced mainly (60%) chloroform-insoluble derivatives, but all other species produced larger quantities of chloroform-soluble than insoluble metabolites. Aflatoxin Q1 was the principle chloroform-soluble metabolite produced by monkey, human, and rat liver, whereas duck liver produced mainly aflatoxicol in that fraction. Aflatoxin P1 was produced by monkey, human, and mouse liver, but not by duck and rat. The chromatographic region containing M1 and B2alpha contained low levels of radioactivity in all species except human. No consistent pattern of metabolism emerged which could be correlated with species differences in response to aflatoxin B1 toxicity or carcinogenicity.

Temporal patterns of covalent DNA adducts in rat liver after single and multiple doses of aflatoxin B1.

We examined patterns of covalent modifications of DNA produced in rat liver after exposure to single and multiple doses of aflatoxin B1. The principal product, previously identified as 2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxy(N7-guanyl) aflatoxin B1, was removed rapidly from liver DNA in vivo after a 0.6-mg/kg dose was administered i.p. to male Fischer rats. This lesion had an apparent half-life of 7.5 hr. Similar kinetics of disappearance was seen for two other aflatoxin adducts, one of which was previously identified as an N7-guanine adduct of aflatoxin P1. The kinetics of formation and disappearance differed for two other products believed to be produced by scission of the imidazole ring of the 7-substituted guanine moiety of the principal adduct in the DNA molecule. These adducts were removed slowly, if at all, during the 72-hr period studied. Approximately 20% of the principal N7 adduct initially formed was converted to these products in 24 hr, at which time they were the predominant lesions in DNA. Administration of multiple doses of aflatoxin B1, using a regimen shown to produce a high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma, caused accumulation of these persistent products in liver DNA over a 14-day period.

In vitro metabolism of aflatoxin B2 by animal and human liver.

The metabolism of aflatoxin B2 by postmitochondrial supernatant fractions of duck, rat, mouse, and human livers was studied in an in vitro system. Duck liver had a much higher level of activity than had tissues from other species. Postmitochondrial supernatant equivalent to 0.2 g whole liver metabolized 40 to 80% of the initial substrate in 30 min, compared to less than 6% for the other species. Among several metabolites formed by duck liver, aflatoxin B1 was produced in amounts equivalent to 2 to 8% of the initial substrate, and metabolites having chromatographic properties postualted for aflatoxicols 1 and 2 and aflatoxins M1 and M2 were also formed in small amounts. In contrast, rat, mouse, and human liver preparations produced no detectable aflatoxin B1 and only small amounts of compounds thought to be aflatoxins Q2 and P2. The greater susceptibility of duck liver to the toxicity of aflatoxin B2 may be attributable to its ability to form aflatoxin B2 may be attributable to its ability to form aflatoxin B1, which could then be activated through further metabolism.

Excretion of an aflatoxin-guanine adduct in the urine of aflatoxin B1-treated rats.

Administration of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) to rats resulted in the urinary excretion of 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1. This is the major product formed by the interaction in vivo of AFB1 with rat liver nucleic acids. The adduct was isolated from urine by the combined use of preparative and analytical high-pressure liquid chromatography and was quantitated by measurement of absorbance at 365 nm. The method allowed reproducible quantitation of adduct in urine samples from rats treated with AFB1 by i.p. injection at levels as low as 0.125 mg/kg. Application of the method to urine samples from rats given injections of AFB1 (1 mg/kg) revealed the presence of a compound chromatographically identical to authentic 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1. Spectral and chemical analysis of microgram quantities of this compound provided strong evidence that this compound is identical to authentic adduct. Measurement of this adduct in the urine of rats given injections of different doses of AFB1 showed that excretion occurs in a dose-dependent manner. Comparison of the dose-response curve for adduct excretion with that previously observed for adduct formation in rat liver DNA in vivo revealed a high degree of qualitative similarity, with the levels of adduct excreted in urine representing 30 to 40% of the levels seen initially in liver DNA.

Molecular biomarkers for aflatoxins and their application to human cancer prevention.

The rapidly expanding understanding of the progressive processes of carcinogenesis provides opportunities for the identification of molecular biological markers reflecting events from exposure through clinical disease. These molecular biological markers can be classified into categories of markers of exposure reflecting the dose of toxic agents, markers of effect indicating a biological response to exposure, and markers of susceptibility providing information about the inherent sensitivity of individuals to the toxic agents. By definition some of these markers are chemical agent specific, such as a carcinogen-DNA or -protein adduct, while others are biological process specific, such as the altered expression of a gene. This article reviews the development and validation of molecular biomarkers of aflatoxins using experimental and human population studies. The development of molecular biomarkers for aflatoxins is based upon the extensive research database available about their metabolism, macromolecular adduct formation, and general mechanisms of action. The long-term goal of the research described in this paper is the application of aflatoxin biomarkers to the development of preventive interventions in human populations at high risk for liver cancer.

Effect of hepatocarcinogens on the binding of glucocorticoid-receptor complex in rat liver nuclei.

The effects of a number of carcinogens and hepatotoxins on the binding kinetics of the interactions of glucocorticoidcytosol receptor complex with nuclear acceptor sites in rat liver were investigated. Both the apparent sites in rat liver were investigated. Both the apparent concentration of nuclear binding sites and the Kd were significantly diminished following treatment of rats with sublethal doses of the carcinogens aflatoxin B1, diethylnitrosamine, dimethylnitrosamine, thioacetamide, 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, and 3-methylcholanthrene. Treatment with actinomycin D resulted in a slight reduction in the apparent concentration of nuclear acceptor sites but had no effect on the nuclear binding Kd. The hepatotoxic but noncarcinogenic analgesic, acetaminophen, as well as the weakly toxic aflatoxin B1 cognate, aflatoxin B2, were without effect on the kinetics or binding capacity of glucocorticoid-nuclear acceptor site interaction. These experiments suggest that chemically induced alteration of functional glucocorticoid binding sites on chromatin may be involved in the biochemical effects produced in liver by carcinogens of several chemical types. This experimental model may provide a useful approach for further elucidation of early events in carcinogenesis.

Carcinogenicity of nitrosation products of ephedrine, sarcosine, folic acid, and creatinine.

Carcinogenic activity of several synthetic N-nitroso compounds was evaluated in C57BL/6J X C3HeB/FeJ F1 mice. Test substances, suspended in trioctanoin, were injected i.p. in three equal doses given on Days 1, 4, and 7 after birth and animals were held without further treatment for up to 85 weeks. Nitrosoephedrine at a total dose of 600 mg/kg induced metastasizing liver cell carcinomas in 28 of 30 animals. Nitrososarcosine (225 mg/kg) induced similar tumors in 8 of 14 animals. Nitrosofolic acid (375 mg/kg) induced lung adenocarcinomas in 4 of 28 mice. Creatinine-5-oxime (600 mg/kg) showed no evidence of carcinogenic activity. Diethylnitrosamine (12 mg/kg given in four doses), included as a positive control, caused metastasizing liver cell tumors in 23 of 25 animals.

Transfer RNA methylase activity and capacity during aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

Transfer RNA methylase (tRNA methylase) activity and capacity were monitored in whole-rat-liver preparations during the induction of hepatocellular carcinomas by an 8-week aflatoxin B1 dosing regimen that produced minimal toxic effects. Significant phases of elevated tRNA methylase capacity occurred at 6 to 9 weeks (20%) and 24 to 29 weeks (40%). No significant change in tRNA methylase activity was noted over the course of the 55-week experiment. Higher aflatoxin B1 doses, producing acute toxic liver damage, resulted in elevated tRNA methylase activity (50%) and capacity (30%) at least as early as 1 week after dosing. Experiments with individual nodular lesions excised from livers of rats continuously fed a diet containing 2 ppm aflatoxin B1 demonstrated similarly elevated tRNA methylase activities and capacities in hyperplastic (preneoplastic)nodules, with and without histological evidence of carcinoma.

Quinol-glutathione conjugate-induced mutation spectra in the supF gene replicated in human AD293 cells and bacterial MBL50 cells.

Hydroquinone is a nephrocarcinogen in rats but generally tests negative in standard mutagenicity assays. However, 2,3,5-tris-(glutathion-S-yl)hydroquinone, a potent nephrotoxic metabolite of hydroquinone, and 2-bromo-bis-(glutathion-S-yl)hydroquinone, another cytotoxic quinol-glutathione (GSH) conjugate, cause extensive single strand breaks in DNA in a manner that is dependent on the formation of reactive oxygen species. We, therefore, investigated whether quinol-GSH conjugates have the potential to behave as genotoxicants. The shuttle vector pSP189, containing the supF gene, was treated with 2,3,5-tris-(glutathion-S-yl)hydroquinone and replicated in both human AD293 cells and Escherichia coli MBL50 cells. The mutation frequency increased 4.6- and 2.6-fold in human AD293 and bacterial MBL50 cells, respectively. Base substitutions were the major type of mutations, and they occurred predominantly at G:C sites in both cell types. A high frequency of deletions (30%), including < 10- and > 10-bp deletions, were observed in AD293-replicated plasmids. The most common types of mutations in AD293 cells were G:C to A:T transitions (33.8%) and G:C to T:A (29.4%) and G:C to C:G (19.1%) transversions. In MBL50 cells, the major mutations were G:C to T:A (33.8%) and G:C to C:G (31.3%) transversions and G:C to A:T transitions (27.5%). The mutation spectra were similar to those reported for *OH-induced mutations, suggesting that *OH generated from polyphenolic-GSH conjugates not only plays a role in cytotoxicity but also provides a basis for their mutagenicity and carcinogenicity.

Carcinogenicity in rats of the nitrosated bile acid conjugates N-nitrosoglycocholic acid and N-nitrosotaurocholic acid.

Two nitrosated bile acid conjugates, N-nitrosoglycocholic acid and N-nitrosotaurocholic acid, were examined for carcinogenicity in a 2-year study with male Fischer rats using a 6-week p.o. dosing protocol with a total of 300 mg compound/rat. Both compounds were approximately equally carcinogenic and induced significant levels of hepatocellular carcinoma in 54 to 70% of the animals at risk. Gastric tumors of the glandular and aglandular stomach were observed in 12 to 13% of the treated rats. Although the incidence was not significant, these levels were much higher than those in historic controls. Malignant liver and gastric tumors were not detected in vehicle control rats. Alkaline phosphatase-positive foci, putative early mucosal alterations which may precede neoplasia, were found in approximately 35% of the glandular stomachs of compound-treated rats but not in those of control rats.