Quantification of glycolic acid in cosmetic products using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography.

Many cosmetics contain keratolytic hydroxy acids to correct the effects of photoageing on human skin. Although methods exist for quantifying the alpha-hydroxy acid, glycolic acid in aqueous media, accurate methods for quantification in mixed hydrophobic and aqueous cosmetic creams and lotions are lacking. Glycolic acid was extracted from cosmetics using aqueous tetrahydrofuran (THF), separated with strong-anion exchange cartridges, and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-VIS detection without the paired-ion reagents. In a recovery experiment, the mean accuracy of the method was 100.6%. The dynamic range of the method allows for the detection of glycolic acid at concentrations used in over-the-counter cosmetics.

Basal cell proliferation in female SKH-1 mice treated with alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids.

Alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids are compounds that have been used extensively in cosmetic and dermatological formulations. Clinical and qualitative effects of alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids have been well characterized, but little is known about their mechanism of action or acute and chronic biochemical effects. In the present study, we examined the acute proliferative effects of glycolic and salicylic acids on cell proliferation in the epidermis of SKH-1 female mice, using BrdU incorporation as a marker of epidermal proliferation. In preliminary experiments, we observed an increase in the rate of proliferation after 3 days of treatment with 10% glycolic acid-containing cream and this was sustained throughout a 6.5-week (treatment 5 days/week) time course compared with untreated control animals. After each treatment with cream containing glycolic acid there was a wave of proliferation that was maximal 12 to 16 h (significant at p < 0.05) after treatment, followed by a subsequent increase in epidermal thickness at 18 to 20 h (significant at p < 0.05). The effects of the concentration and pH level of glycolic acid- and salicylic acid-containing creams on the rate of proliferation and increases in skin thickness in SKH-1 epidermis were also investigated. We observed a dose-dependent increase in epidermal proliferation of animals treated with either glycolic or salicylic acid. A similar time-dependent response was observed in the epidermal thickness in animals treated with salicylic acid, but not with glycolic acid. Differences in pH (3.5 or 4.0) had no significant effect on either epidermal proliferation or skin thickness. The data that we present here should be useful in characterizing not only the beneficial but also the adverse effects that occur following acute or chronic usage of alpha-hydroxy acids.

DNA adduct formation by Fusarium culture extracts: lack of role of fusarin C.

Fusarium fungi have been shown to infect corn and other crops worldwide, and have a significant impact on human health through loss of crops or contamination of food with mycotoxins. Isolates of Fusarium fungi from an area of South Africa with high incidence of esophageal cancer have been shown to induce esophageal and liver cancer in rats. Several isolates of Fusarium fungi were grown on corn to determine if genotoxic products were produced. We report the incubation of methanol extracts of Fusarium verticillioides cultures with DNA in the presence of rat liver fractions (S9) resulted in the formation of a unique DNA adduct that was detected by (32)P-postlabeling. Fusarin C was purified from cultures of Fusarium verticillioides RRC 415, and was not responsible for the formation of the DNA adduct. Treatment of the methanolic extracts with ultraviolet B radiation reduced the fusarin C content in the extract; however, this had no effect on the formation of the DNA adduct following incubation of the extract with DNA and S9. The unique DNA adduct was formed following the incubation of several Fusarium verticillioides isolates from the US and South Africa, while extracts of cultures of Fusarium graminearium and Fusarium sacchari isolates formed very little of the DNA adduct when incubated with DNA and S9. These data suggest that neither fusarin C nor any of its metabolites are responsible for formation of the DNA adduct, and that an unidentified compound is present in F. verticillioides cultures that forms a DNA adduct, and may be important in the etiology of human esophageal cancer.

Fumonisin B1 induces apoptosis in cultured human keratinocytes through sphinganine accumulation and ceramide depletion.

Fumonisin B1 stimulates apoptosis in a variety of cell types and tissues. We examined the role of sphingolipid changes in fumonisin B1-stimulated apoptosis. Sphinganine accumulated rapidly, sphingosine levels remained unchanged, and ceramides decreased during fumonisin B1 exposure. Increased DNA fragmentation, decreased viability, and apoptotic morphology were observed in cells exposed to fumonisin B1, sphinganine, or N-acetylsphingosine. Co-exposure to N-acetylsphingosine or beta-chloroalanine, which blocks sphinganine accumulation, partially protected cells from fumonisin B1-induced apoptosis. These results illustrate three sphingolipid-dependent mechanisms for inducing apoptosis: accumulation of excess ceramide, accumulation of excess sphinganine, and depletion of ceramide or complex sphingolipids derived from ceramide.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enhance terminal cell death of human ectocervical cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a class of chemical carcinogens whose active metabolites form DNA adducts, resulting in specific mutational events. The tumor suppressor protein p53 is believed to play a pivotal role in the ability of cells to response to DNA damage, resulting in either cell cycle arrest in G1 or apoptosis under conditions of excessive damage. This growth inhibition is associated with the concomitant induction of p53 and enhanced terminal cell differentiation. In this study we evaluated the effects of PAH on cell growth, cell differentiation, xenobiotic metabolism, and DNA adduct levels in normal ectocervical epithelial cells (ECE) and compared them to cervical cells whose p53 have been inactivated either by binding to viral HPV E6 oncogene (ECE16-1) or by mutation (C33A). The PAH 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) inhibited normal ECE and to a lesser extent ECE16-1 cell proliferation. Not only did the growth inhibition occur at lower concentrations in the normal cells but the extent of inhibition was also greater in normal as compared to immortalized cells. Benzanthracene (BA) had a minor effect on normal ECE cells with no effect on immortalized ECE16-1 cells. C33A cell growth was unaffected by 3MC and BA. Terminal cell death was enhanced only in normal ECE cells as evidenced by increased envelope formation and was paralleled by an increase in the level of p53 following 3MC treatment. The differentiation status of the 3MC-treated cells was similar to untreated cells as indicated by three independent markers of cell differentiation; transglutaminase, involucrin, keratin expression. There was no difference in the pattern or level of DNA adducts formed in normal and immortalized cells following 3MC treatment. In addition the basal level of metabolism of 14C-BaP to phenols, diols and quinnones was unaltered by pretreatment with either 3MC or BA. These results demonstrate that immortalized cervical cells are less sensitive to toxicant damage [i.e. cell proliferation and terminal differentiation], and as a result, immortalized cells proliferate in the presence of genotoxic damage and are at increased risk for mutations and cancer.

Role of nitroreductases but not cytochromes P450 in the metabolic activation of 1-nitropyrene in the HepG2 human hepatoblastoma cell line.

1-Nitropyrene is an environmental contaminant that is mutagenic in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, including the hypoxanthine-guanosine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. Metabolism and DNA adduct formation of [3H]1-nitropyrene in the HepG2 were quantified to understand the role of nitroreduction and/or cytochrome P450-mediated C-oxidation of 1-nitropyrene in DNA adduct formation and mutagenicity. In uninduced HepG2 cells, 10 microM [3H]1-nitropyrene was metabolized principally by nitroreduction to 1-aminopyrene (516 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells), and by cytochrome P450-mediated C-oxidation to K-region trans-dihydrodiols (37 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells), 1-nitropyren-3-ol (51 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells), and 1-nitropyren-6-ol and 1-nitropyren-8-ol (77 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells). Pretreatment of the HepG2 cells for 24 hr with 5 nM 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) resulted in a complete change in the metabolism of [3H]1-nitropyrene, with 1-nitropyren-6-ol and 1-nitropyren-8-ol formation (449 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells) being 80-fold greater than 1-aminopyrene formation (6 pmol/24 hr/10(6) cells). This increase in C-oxidation of 1-nitropyrene was consistent with increased levels of cytochrome P450 1A. The only DNA adduct detected using the 32P-postlabeling assay in the HepG2 cells administered 1-nitropyrene was N-(2'-deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene (dG-C8-AP). Induction of C-oxidative metabolism through TCDD treatment resulted in a concomitant decrease in dG-C8-AP formation. DNA adducts for oxidized 1-nitropyrene metabolites were not detected in the TCDD-treated HepG2 cells administered 1-nitropyrene, which indicates that cytochrome P450-mediated C-oxidative pathways are detoxification pathways in HepG2 cells.

Identification of ceramides in human cells using liquid chromatography with detection by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

Ceramides are intermediates in the biosynthesis of membrane sphingolipids. These biomolecules are also important as second messengers in signal transduction pathways controlling cell growth. We have developed two reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) techniques for identification and quantification of ceramides from mammalian cells. One method was based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) detection of ceramides and had the advantage of requiring minimal sample preparation, yielding significant structural information, and affording high sensitivity. The second method relied on perbenzoylation of the ceramides and detection at 230 nm. The predominant ceramides detected in the human leukemic HL-60 cell were N-(palmitoyl)-sphingosine, N-(nervonyl)-sphingosine, and N-(lignoceroyl)-sphingosine. When selected ion monitoring was used with RPHPLC/APCI-MS, approximately 2.2 pmol N-(palmitoyl)-sphingosine and 1.7 pmol N-(nervonyl)-sphingosine were observed in an extract from 40,000 HL-60 cells. Perbenzoylation with benzoyl chloride permitted RPHPLC separation and 230 nm UV absorbance detection of the trisbenzoyl derivatives of sphingosine, N-(palmitoyl)-sphingosine, N-(nervonyl)-sphingosine, and N-(lignoceroyl)-sphingosine in the HL-60 cells. These results demonstrate the utility of utilizing two different methods coupled with APCI-MS for the quantification and identification of ceramides in biological samples.

Differential response of normal and HPV immortalized ectocervical epithelial cells to B[a]P.

Cigarette smoking has been established as a risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), which are present in cigarette smoke, might account for this increased risk. The effects of B[a]P on cell growth, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, DNA adducts and p53 levels was measured in cervical cells. Since 90% of cervical preneoplastic lesions are positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) we compared the effects of these chemicals in normal ectocervical epithelial cells (ECE) and human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) immortalized ectocervical epithelial cells (ECE16-1). Exposure of normal ECE and HPV immortalized ECE16-1 cells to B[a]P inhibited cell proliferation. Inhibition occurred at 20-fold lower concentrations in the normal ECE cells compared to ECE16-1 cells. The proliferation of cervical cells which express mutated p53 was unaffected by B[a]P. Neither cervical stromal cells nor endometrial stromal cells were affected by these compounds. The effects of B[a]P on normal ECE cell proliferation correlated with increased terminal differentiation as measured by increased envelope formation. In contrast, B[a]P exposure did not induce envelope formation in immortalized ECE16-1 cells or in cervical tumor cells. Pretreatment of both ECE and ECE16-1 cells with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, which induces P450 expression and activity, did not alter B[a]P metabolism in either normal or immortalized cells. Furthermore, equivalent levels of DNA adducts were formed by B[a]P in ECE and ECE16-1 cells. Neither the extent of adduct formation nor the rate of their removal differed in normal and immortalized cervical cells. Therefore, the diminished growth inhibition of the ECE16-1 cells as compared to normal ECE cells by B[a]P is not due to changes in cytochrome P450 of the 1A family metabolism or DNA adduct number. Furthermore, analysis of the p53 levels in both normal and ECE16-1 cells revealed that p53 levels are higher in normal versus immortalized ectocervical cells, and p53 is induced in both cell types following B[a]P treatment. Thus reduced p53 levels in ECE16-1 cells may contribute to a lack of growth suppression following B[a]P treatment. These results demonstrate that HPV16 immortalization diminishes ectocervical epithelial cell responsiveness to toxicant damage (i.e. decreased cell proliferation and increased terminal differentiation). As a result, ECE16-1 cells that sustain genotoxic damage which leads to DNA adduct formation continue to proliferate and may be at increased risk for mutations and further progression towards a fully transformed phenotype.

DNA adduct levels in congenic rapid and slow acetylator mouse strains following chronic administration of 4-aminobiphenyl.

4-Aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) is a human and mouse bladder carcinogen. Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals with a slow acetylator phenotype, especially those exposed to high levels of carcinogenic aromatic amines, show an increased susceptibility to bladder cancer. In order to determine if a slow acetylator phenotype results in increased DNA damage, congenic mouse strains C57BL/6J and B6.A-Nat(s), which differ genetically at the acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5) locus as homozygous rapid (Natr/Natr) and homozygous slow (Nat(s)/Nat(s)) acetylators respectively, were continuously administered 4-ABP.HCl (55-300 p.p.m.) in their drinking water for 28 days. The levels of covalently bound N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-ABP-DNA adducts, which are believed to be critical for the initiation of tumors, were quantitated in the liver and bladder by 32P-postlabeling analysis. The levels of the hepatic DNA adduct increased with dose in both sexes, but were independent of the mouse acetylator genotype. At comparable doses, however, the levels of DNA adducts were 2-fold higher in the liver of the female as compared to the male animals. The DNA adducts also increased with dose in bladder of the male mice, but in contrast to the liver, the adduct levels were approximately 2-fold lower in the bladder DNA of the female mice. Also in contrast to the liver, the levels of bladder DNA adducts were significantly higher (P < or = 0.03) in the phenotypic rapid acetylator females compared to the slow acetylators at both 75 and 150 p.p.m. doses; the median levels of adducts were 10-20% higher in the phenotypic slow acetylator male bladders compared to their rapid acetylator counterparts. The results of these studies are consistent with the increased carcinogenicity of 4-ABP to the liver of female mice and the bladder of male mice. They further suggest that factors other than acetylator phenotype limit the extent of DNA adduct formation from 4-ABP in these mice.

Hemoglobin adduct and hepatic- and urinary bladder-DNA adduct levels in rapid and slow acetylator Syrian inbred hamsters administered 2-aminofluorene.

The levels of covalently bound arylamine-hemoglobin and DNA adduct formation were used as dosimeters to measure the effect of acetylator genotype and sex on the metabolic conversion of the carcinogen, 2-aminofluorene, to reactive intermediates. A single high dose of 2-aminofluorene (60 mg/kg b.wt. i.p.) was administered to male and female homozygous rapid (Patr/Patr) acetylator hamsters (MHA/SsLaK) and homozygous slow (Pats/Pats) acetylator hamsters (Bio. 82.73/H). By using 32P-postlabeling assay methodology, a sole nonacetylated DNA adduct, which cochromatographed with authentic N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene was detected at 3, 6, 12, 18 or 24 hr postdosing in liver and urinary bladder DNA of both rapid and slow acetylator hamsters. The highest levels were detected at 18 hr post 2-aminofluorene injection at which time the average levels of hepatic 2-aminofluorene-DNA adducts were similar between male and female rapid and slow acetylators. By comparison, the levels of 2-aminofluorene-DNA adducts in the urinary bladder at 18 hr were about 4-fold lower than in the liver, and were significantly greater in homozygous rapid than in homozygous slow acetylator counterparts (P less than .01). In both the liver and urinary bladder, the levels of 2-aminofluorene-DNA adducts were independent of sex. In contrast to the DNA adduct data, the levels of 2-aminofluorene-hemoglobin adducts, evaluated by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, were significantly higher in the homozygous slow acetylators than in homozygous rapid acetylators. However, there again were no differences between males and females.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)