Effect of Nitro-Substitution of Environmental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Activities of Hepatic Phase Ii Enzymes in Rats

Abstract

A series of environmentally occurring nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) including those containing nitro-groups oriented coplanarly to the aromatic rings, such as 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (1- and 3-NBAP), 6-nitrochrysene, and 1- and 4-nitropyrene, and those with a molecular orientation of the nitro-groups perpendicular to the aromatic moieties, such as 7-nitrobenz[a]anthracene and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-NBAP), were used to study the induction of certain rat hepatic phase II conjugating enzymes. Effects of these two different classes of nitro-PAHs on microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT), cytosolic glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and sulfotransferases (STs) were investigated. After three consecutive daily i.p. injections, 1- and 3-NBAP and 6-nitrochrysene significantly increased the activities of UDPGT and GST, whereas their parent PAHs did not induce UDPGT (and GST activity was also unaltered by benzo[a]pyrene). UDPGT and GST activities were also significantly increased by 1-nitropyrene. In contrast, the sulfotransferases directed to 2-naphthol were not significantly induced by any PAH or nitro-PAH when assayed at either pH 5.5 or 7.5; however, the activities of aryl STs III and IV (pH 5.5) were significantly decreased following treatment with pyrene and two nitro-compounds, 6-NBAP and 7-nitrobenz[a]anthracene, in which the nitro-group is oriented perpendicular to the aromatic moiety. These results indicate that a coplanar orientation of the nitro-group of certain nitrated PAHs facilitates the induction of hepatic phase II enzymes by these compounds in rats, and the comparable induction patterns for P450IA1, UDPGT, and GST provide further evidence supporting the coordinate regulation (through the Ah receptor) of these phase I and phase II activities.