Metabolic activation of benzo[ a]pyrene in human skin maintained in short-term organ culture

Abstract

The metabolic activation of benzo[ a]pyrene (BP) was examined in six samples of human skin after topical application of the hydrocarbon to the skin in short-term organ culture. The results show that all of the samples were capable of metabolizing BP to water-soluble products and to ethersoluble products that included the 4,5-, 7,8- and 9,10-dihydrodiols and a product which had chromatographic properties identical with those of authentic trans-11,12-dihydro-11,12-dihydroxybenzo[ a]pyrene (BP-11,12-diol). The major BP-deoxyribonucleoside adduct detected in each skin sample appeared to be formed from the reaction of r-7, t-8-dihydroxy- t-9,10-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[ a]pyrene ( anti-BP-7,8-diol 9,10-oxide) with deoxyguanosine residues in DNA.