Fungal oxidation of 3-methylcholanthrene: Formation of proximate carcinogenic metabolites of 3-methylcholanthrene

The filamentous fungus, Cunninghamella elegans, was found to metabolize the potent carcinogen, 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) to 1-hydroxy-3-MC, 2-hydroxy-3-MC, 1-keto-3-MC, 2-keto-3-MC and trans-9,10-dihydrodiols of 1-hydroxy-3-MC. In addition several unidentified derivatives of 3-MC were found. The metabolites formed were separated by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified by comparison of retention times, absorbance, fluorescence and mass spectra with those of synthetic standards. Incubation of (±)-1-hydroxy-3-MC and (±)-2-hydroxy-3-MC with cells of C. elegans indicated that 1-hydroxy-3-MC is metabolized to form diasteromerically related trans-9,10-dihydrodiols of 1-hydroxy-3-MC. Experiments with 3-[¹⁴C]MC showed that over a 48-h period, 8.7% of the hydrocarbon was oxidized to organic solvent-soluble metabolic products. Most of the metabolites were polar products, some of which co-chromatographed with trans-9,10-dihydrodiols of 1-hydroxy-3-MC. The results show that C. elegans has the ability to oxidize 3-MC to metabolites that have been implicated as proximate carcinogenic forms of 3-MC in higher organisms.     

The effect of inducing agents on the metabolism of ethidium bromide by isolated rat hepatocytes

The metabolism of ethidium bromide by isolated rat hepatocytes is significantly enhanced by pre-treatment of animals with phenobarbitone (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC). Pre-treatment with PB and 3-MC results in a 2.5- and 1.5-fold increase, respectively in the amount of the principal metabolite, ethidium 8-N-glucuronide, compared with that formed by hepatocytes from untreated rats. The formation of ethidium 3-N-glucuronide is not enhanced by pre-treatment with either PB or 3-MC. Two new metabolites, hydroxyethidium glucuronide and a transient unidentified species, have been detected by HPLC and are formed only by hepatocytes from animals pre-treated with 3-MC.     

Influence of adrenalectomy and sex on the binding of 3-methylcholanthrene to cytosol macromolecules of rat liver

The retention of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) in rat hepatic cytosol was significantly enhanced by adrenalectomy. In contrast, there was no significant difference in 3-MC retention in females as compared with males. 3-MC present in the cytosol fraction was bound to macromolecules and could be separated into three fractions by ion-exchange column chromatography.     

The identification of 3-methylcholanthrene-9,10-dihydrodiol as an intermediate in the binding of 3-methylcholanthrene to DNA in cells in culture

Two metabolites of 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), previously shown to be precursors of the DNA-bound form of 3MC observed in embryo cells in culture, were prepared from 3MC by microsomal metabolism and isolated by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). From HPLC analysis of the metabolites of 3MC, from mass spectrometric analysis and from comparison with the fluorescence spectra of all 5 possible dihydrodiols of the alkylated benzanthracenes, it was deduced that one of the precursor metabolites was a 9,10-dihydrodiol of 3MC while the other was a 1 or 2-hydroxy derivative thereof.     

High pressure liquid chromatographic separation of the metabolites of 3-methylcholanthrene

All the known metabolites of 3-methylcholanthrene can be separated by high pressure liquid chromatography on a μBondapak C₁₈ column. The separation is accomplished with a reverse phase linear gradient of 40% acetonitrile water to 100% acetonitrile at room temperature. The addition of 0.2% acetic acid to the 40% acetonitrile chamber is required for resolution of the $\text{cis}$ 1,2-dihydrodiol.     

Induction of hepatic microsomal propranolol N-desisopropylase activity by 3-methylcholanthrene and sudan III

Metabolism of propranolol in liver microsomes was markedly induced in rats and $\text{C57BL}\text{6J}$ mice treated with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) or sudan III, inducers of cytochrome P-448. 7,8 Benzoflavone inhibited propranolol metabolism in microsomes from treated rats. 3-MC did not induce propranolol metabolism in genetically nonresponsive $\text{DBA}\text{2}$ mice. High-performance liquid chromatographical analysis of propranolol metabolites revealed a 6-fold increase in propranolol N-desisopropylase activities in liver microsomes from sudan III- or 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. It is concluded that propranolol N-desisopropylation is predominantly catalyzed by cytochrome P-448.     

Heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogenesis: 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole metabolism by microsomal enzymes from mouse and rat liver

The metabolism of dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC), was studied in vitro using microsomal fractions of mouse and rat liver from animals, which were treated with 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). The separation of extractable metabolites by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thinlayer chromatography (TLC) as well as identification of most of them by nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and comparison with synthetically obtained products are described. The microsomes of both species produced the same twelve compounds of which the following have been identified: five monohydroxylated derivatives (phenols), the product of further oxidation of one of them, and a dihydrodiol. The 5-OH-DBC (60% including its spontaneously-formed dimer) and the 3-OH-DBC (14%) are the main metabolites. Three minor metabolites cochromatographed with synthetically prepared 2-OH-DBC, 4-OH-DBC and 6-OH-DBC. The dihydrodiol detectable in small quantity (4–6%) was tentatively identified as 3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydro-DBC by the sensitivity of its formation to very low concentrations of the inhibitor of microsomal epoxide hydrolase, 1,1,1-trichloropropene oxide, by its molecular ion and major fragment in mass spectrometry and by its dehydration product 3-OH-DBC. No other dihydrodiols were detected. The qualitative and quantitative effects of various modulators of metabolism (enzyme inhibitors, apparently homogeneous epoxide hydrolase, glutathione, supernatant fraction) were investigated. The results are discussed with respect to possible ultimate carcinogens.     

The influence of flow on the metabolism of perfused benzo[a]pyrene by isolated rat lung

In order to investigate the influence of flow and, thus, substrate delivery, on the ability of lung to metabolize foreign compounds, the disappearance of circulating [3H]benzo[a]pyrene ([3H]B[a]P) and the appearance of B[a]P metabolites was monitored in isolated rat lungs from control and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) pretreated rats perfused at low (10 ml/min) and high (45 ml/min) flows. Increasing the flow or 3-MC pretreatment hastened the disappearance of B[a]P from the perfusion medium reservoir and increased the rate of appearance of total metabolites. However, these manipulations affected the appearance of individual metabolites in the medium in different ways. For example, in lungs from control rats the rate of appearance of 7,8-dihydrodiol (7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydro-B[a]P) (7,8-DHD) in the perfusion medium was markedly increased by increasing flow while that of B[a]P-1,6-quinone was minimally affected. In addition, increasing flow increased the concentration of some B[a]P metabolites, such as 4,5-dihydrodiol (4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydro-B[a]P) (4,5-DHD) in the lung tissue of control rats at the end of the perfusion period, but did not effect much change in the concentration of these metabolites in lungs from 3-MC-pretreated rats. The results show that flow, as well as 3-MC pretreatment, may alter the rate at which metabolism of foreign compounds occurs and the temporal profile of metabolites produced by the intact lung.     

Determination of 4-amino-m-cresol and 5-amino-o-cresol and metabolites in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) by high-performance liquid chromatography with DAD and MS detection

A multi-step gradient HPLC system combined with DAD and MS detection has been developed for the determination of the oxidation hair dyes 4-amino-m-cresol (4-AC) and 5-amino-o-cresol (5-AC) and their metabolites in the alternative testing system human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell culture. The culture medium induced by 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) was fortified with 4-AC or 5-AC and incubated for 24 h at 37 degrees C in order to produce metabolites. After several pre-cleaning steps, further cleaning was done by solid-phase extraction using C18 phenyl cartridges. Optimizing chromatographic conditions, a hybrid-based RP8 column was most suitable for the separation of the metabolites formed in HaCaT. Only one conjugation product, the N-acetylated derivative, could be identified for both 4-AC and 5-AC by LC/DAD/MS. The ionisation technique used for MS analysis was Atmospheric Pressure Ionization (API).     

Effects of inducers on the regio- and stereoselective metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene by mouse tissue microsomes

The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) by microsomal fractions of the skin, lungs and liver of the mouse, and the effects on this process of pretreatment with the xenobiotics phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) were examined. Differences between the untreated tissues were found both in terms of the total amounts of diol recovered and in the relative proportions of the individual diols extracted following incubation. Induction with PB or 3-MC significantly altered the profiles of metabolic diols obtained with epidermal and hepatic microsomes compared with their respective controls. Pulmonary microsomes showed similar trends to those obtained with liver microsomes but these were not statistically significant. The optical purity of the BP-7,8-diol that was formed by each microsomal type was examined by direct resolution of the enantiomers on HPLC using a chiral stationary phase. In each case the (-)-7R,8R-enantiomer predominated. Pretreatment with 3-MC significantly decreased the optical purity of BP-7,8-diol recovered from incubations with skin microsomes, but significantly increased the optical purity of the diol extracted from incubations with lung and liver microsomes. In addition to the diols, an unidentified BP metabolite was found that eluted between BP-9,10- and 4,5-diol on a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and which represented a major product in extracts of incubations of BP with both induced and uninduced skin and lung microsomal fractions.     

Purification and characterization of a cytosolic transglutaminase from a cultured human tumour-cell line.

The cytosolic glutathione transferases (GSTs) with basic pI values have been studied in mouse liver after treatment with 2,3-t-butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), cafestol palmitate (CAF), phenobarbital (PB), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and trans-stilbene oxide (t-SBO). The cytosolic GST activity was induced by all compounds except for 3-MC. Three forms of GST were isolated by means of affinity chromatography and f.p.l.c. The examination of protein profiles and enzymic activities with specific substrates showed that the three GSTs correspond to those found in control animals, i.e. GSTs MI, MII and MIII. The class Mu GST MIII accounted for the major effect of induction, whereas the class Alpha GST MI and the class Pi GST MII were unchanged or somewhat down-regulated. The greatest induction was obtained with BHA, PB and CAF. The activities of other glutathione-dependent enzymes were also studied. An increase in glutathione reductase and thioltransferase activities was observed after BHA, PB or CAF treatment; glyoxalase I and Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase were depressed in comparison with the control group in all cases studied.     

Induction of DT-diaphorase by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (ICDD).

The compounds 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-$\text{p}$-dioxin (TCDD) are both inducers of the enzyme system aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase. It has recently been reported that 3-MC is also an inducer of DT-diaphorase activity in rat liver. In this report the ability of TCDD to induce hepatic DT-diaphorase activity was examined. The results indicate that TCDD is approximately 17,000 times more potent as an inducer of DT-diaphorase activity than 3-MC.     

Cutaneous metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene: comparative studies in C57BL/6N and DBA/2N mice and neonatal Sprague--Dawley rats

The metabolism of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was studied using microsomes prepared from the skin of the mouse and rat. Topical application of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1254 or the PAH 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) to the skin of the C57BL/6N and DBA/2N mouse and the Sprague-Dawley rat caused statistically significant enhancement of cutaneous microsomal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity in each animal. PCB was a more potent inducer of the enzyme than was 3-MC. BaP metabolism by skin microsomes from the same animals was assessed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The skin of untreated animals metabolized BaP into 9,10-, 7,8- and 4,5-dihydrodiols, phenols and quinones. Skin application of PCB caused greater than 16–18-fold enhancement of BaP metabolism in the C57BL/6N mouse and the rat and 2–5-fold enhancement in the DBA/2N mouse. Skin application of 3-MC enhanced BaP metabolism 2–8-fold in the C57BL/6N mouse and 5–10-fold in the rat and had no effect in the DBA/2N mouse. The formation of procarcinogenic metabolite BaP-7, 8-diol was greatly enhanced (4–12-fold) by treatment with the PCB and 3-MC in the tumor susceptible C57BL/6N mouse and in the tumor-resistant neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat. In contrast, the formation of BaP-7,8-diol was either slightly enhanced (2-fold) or unaffected by treatment with the PCB or 3-MC in the tumor-resistant DBA/2N mouse. Our data indicate that neither the patterns of metabolism nor the amount of BaP-7,8-diol formation in the skin are reliable predictors of tumor susceptibility to the PAH in rodent skin.     

Chromatographic and catalytic properties of multiple forms of rabbit pulmonary cytochromes P-450

Rabbit pulmonary cytochrome P-450 forms 2,5, and 6 were resolved using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and their properties compared with rabbit liver cytochrome P-450 isozymes LM₂ and LM₆. Although rabbit pulmonary form 2 and liver LM₂ had similar electrophoretic mobilities and similar substrate specificities in reconstitution experiments, they differed in their HPLC elution profiles. High-performance liquid chromatography of pulmonary microsomes from rabbits treated with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) revealed the induction of form 6 isozyme, which had a retention time, electro-phoretic mobility, and substrate specificity similar to those of rabbit liver LM₆. In reconstitution experiments, forms 2 and 6 showed the highest substrate specificities toward benzphetamine and 7-ethoxyresorufin, respectively. Rabbit lung cytochrome P-450 form 5 was relatively inactive toward all substrates tested.     

Separation and quantitative determination of 2-acetyl-aminofluorene and its hydroxylated metabolites by high pressure liquid chromatography

A method utilizing high pressure liquid chromatography has been developed for the separation and quantitative estimation of all the major metabolites of the carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene in a single chromatographic determination. The method was used to separate 7-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 5-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 3-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, 1-hydroxy-2-acetyl-aminofluorene, 2-aminofluorene, N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, and 2-acetylaminofluorene when 2-acetylaminofluorene was incubated with mouse liver microsomes and NADPH.This new high pressure liquid chromatography method for separating the metabolites arising from hydroxylations of 2-acetylaminofluorene should also prove useful in the isolation and quantitative analysis of metabolites from other N-acetylarylamines.     

Nucleolar activity after 3-methylcholanthrene treatment of rat liver cells studied by silver staining procedure

The influence of a single dose of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) was studied in nucleoli of young rat liver cells by means of conventional and ultracytochemical methods. The nucleolar activity was stimulated in our experimental conditions: the appearance of the fibrillar centres in the liver cell nucleoli as well as the silver staining protein content of the fibrillar centres and the dense fibrillar component were increased by 3-MC. The results suggest that the activity of ribosomal genes was increased following 3-MC treatment.     

Transformation of SV40-immortalized human uroepithelial cells by 3-methylcholanthrene increases IFN- and Large T Antigen-induced transcripts

Background  

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) immortalization followed by treatment of cells with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) has been used to elicit tumors in athymic mice. 3-MC carcinogenesis has been thoroughly studied, however gene-level interactions between 3-MC and SV40 that could have produced the observed tumors have not been explored. The commercially-available human uroepithelial cell lines were either SV40-immortalized (HUC) or SV40-immortalized and then 3-MC-transformed (HUC-TC).     

The effect of antithymocyte serum on the natural cytotoxicity of C3HA mouse splenocytes in the early periods after 20-methylcholanthrene administration]

The role of T-lymphocytes in natural cytotoxicity of splenocytes of C3HA mice after a single injection of 20-methylcholanthrene (20-MC) was investigated. A splenocyte suspension was treated with anti-T-cell serum and complement. This treatment was not shown to exert influence on the natural cytotoxicity of splenocytes within 1-13 days after injecting 20-MC.     

3-Methylcholanthrene induces phenobarbital-induced cytochrome P-450 hemoprotein in fetal liver and not cytochrome P-448 hemoprotein induced in maternal liver of rats

The characteristic nature of the drug-metabolizing system in fetal liver microsomes of rats was investigated. The aminopyrine(AM)- and the hexobarbital (HB)-metabolizing activities in fetal liver microsomes of the 21st day of pregnancy were induced by the maternal administration of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) once daily on the 18th and the 19th day of pregnancy, while they were inhibited in maternal liver microsomes. The inductions of the AM- and the HB-metabolizing enzymes in fetal liver microsomes of rat by the maternal administration of 3-MC occurred exclusively in fetal period and simultaneously hemoprotein like phenobarbital-induced type P-450 different from that in maternal liver microsomes was newly induced in fetal liver microsomes of rats.