Ah Receptor Binding Affinities Research Articles

2,3,7,8‐Tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) and Related Compounds as Antioestrogens: Characterization and Mechanism of Action

In the female Sprague-Dawley rat uterus 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds exhibited a broad spectrum of antioestrogenic responses. For example 2,3,7,8-TCDD inhibited the 17 beta-oestradiol-induced uterine wet weight increase, peroxidase activity, oestrogen and progesterone receptor levels, epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor binding, and EGF receptor and c-fos protooncogene mRNA levels. The aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor was identified in the rat uterus and the antioestrogenic activities of TCDD and related compounds were structure-dependent. In parallel studies, the effects of TCDD as an antioestrogen in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells was also investigated. TCDD inhibited the 17 beta-oestradiol-induced proliferation of these cells and the secretion of the 34-, 52- and 160-kDa proteins. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with 1 nM [3H]-17 beta-oestradiol resulted in a rapid accumulation of nuclear oestrogen receptor (ER) complexes. Pretreatment of the cells with TCDD caused a rapid decrease in nuclear ER binding activity and immunoreactive protein; moreover, the structure-dependent potencies of TCDD and related compounds as antioestrogens were similar to their Ah receptor binding affinities. TCDD also caused a decrease in nuclear ER levels in wild-type Ah-responsive Hepa 1c1c7 cells but was inactive in Ah non-responsive mutant Hepa 1c1c7 cells. Moreover, in the wild-type cells, both actinomycin D and cycloheximide blocked the effects of TCDD. 6-Methyl-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofuran (MCDF) has previously been characterized as a TCDD antagonist in rodents and in transformed rodent cell lines. However, like TCDD, MCDF also exhibited a broad spectrum of antioestrogenic activities in both the female Sprague-Dawley rat uterus and MCF-7 cells. MCDF is relatively non-toxic compared to TCDD and is being investigated as a compound which may be clinically useful for the treatment of mammary cancer.

6-Alkyl-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofurans as antiestrogens in female Sprague-Dawley rats

The comparative antiestrogenic effects of 6-methyl-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofuran (MCDF), 6- t-butyl-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofuran (triCDF) and 6-cyclohexyl-1,3,8-triCDF were determined in immature female Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment of the animals with 17β-estradiol (0.33 μmol/kg × 2) caused an increase in uterine cytosolic and nuclear estrogen and progesterone receptor levels, uterine peroxidase activity, uterine wet weights and uterine epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor binding activity and steady state EGF receptor mRNA levels. MCDF and 6- t-butyl-1,3,8-triCDF, two compounds which exhibit moderate aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor binding affinity were also administered (100 μmol/kg) to the female rats in the presence or absence of 17β-estradiol. The results of these studies show that both compounds decrease the constitutive and 17β-estradiol-induced responses noted above. In contrast, 6-cyclohexyl-1,3,8-triCDF, a congener which exhibits low Ah receptor binding, was inactive as an antiestrogen. These studies clearly demonstrate that selected 6-alkyl-1,3,8-triCDFs elicit a broad spectrum of antiestrogenic activity in immature female rats. Moreover, in contrast to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD) which also is a potent antiestrogen, the 6-alkyl-1,3,8-triCDFs are relatively non-toxic and can serve as prototypes for the future development of a new class of antiestrogens with potential for clinical applications.

6-substituted-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofurans as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin antagonists in the rat: structure activity relationships

The activities of several 6-substituted-1,3,8-trichlorodibenzofurans (CDFs) as partial antagonists of the induction of hepatic microsomal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities in the rat by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD) were structure-dependent. Treatment of the rats with TCDD (16 nmol/kg), the 6-substituted-1,3,8-triCDFs (50 μmol/kg) and TCDD plus the 6-substituted-1,3,8-triCDFs showed that most of the substituted congeners were either inactive (6-methyl, ethyl, propyl, i-propyl, t-butyl) or weak (6-cyclohexyl, nitro) inducers of AHH and EROD activities, whereas TCDD caused and 8.1- and 58-fold induction of these enzyme activities respectively. In the co-administration studies, the 6-methyl, propyl, ethyl, isopropyl and t-butyl analogs partially antagonized the induction of the monooxygenase enzyme activities by TCDD, whereas, the 6-cyclohexyl and 6-nitro-1,3,8-triCDFs exhibited minimal activity as TCDD antagonists. The Ah receptor binding affinities of the 6-substituted compounds were determined in a series of in vitro competitive binding studies using [ 3H]TCDD as the radioligand. Analysis of the data by Scatchard and Dixon plots showed that the avidities for the Ah receptor by the 6-substituted-1,3,8-triCDFs followed the order 6-methyl > 6- t-butyl > 6- i-propyl > 6-propyl ≈ 6-ethyl > 6-cyclohexyl > 6-nitro-1,3,8-triCDF. In addition there was a good correlation between the in vitro binding avidities and K i values for these compounds and their in vivo activity as partial antagonists of the induction of AHH and EROD activities by TCDD. The results suggested that the 6-substituted-1,3,8-triCDFs competitively displaced TCDD from the Ah receptor and this interaction may play a role in the mechanism of action of this class of TCDD antagonists.

Role of the 4-5S binding protein in the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in the rat.

Analysis of male Sprague--Dawley rat hepatic cytosol from two commercial animal laboratories for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) 4-5S binding protein showed that in one group of animals no 4-5S protein was detectable (-4S) whereas the levels of this protein were 208 +/- 57 fmol/mg cytosolic protein in the +4S rats. The role of the 4-5S binding protein in the transregulation of the cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), was therefore investigated in the -4S and +4S Sprague-Dawley rats. The dose-response curves for the induction of hepatic microsomal AHH by 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) were indistinguishable in both +4S and -4S rats and comparable results were observed for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as an inducer. Both MC and TCDD exhibit high binding affinities for the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) 8-9S receptor protein, whereas MC but not TCDD bound with high affinity to the 4-5S binding protein. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) binds with moderate affinity to both the Ah receptor and 4-5S binding protein and induces AHH in both -4S and +4S rats. Perylene binds with moderate affinity to the 4-5S binding protein but does not interact with the Ah receptor. This PAH was inactive as an inducer of AHH in +4S and -4S Sprague-Dawley rats. These results show that there was a correlation between the Ah receptor binding affinities of MC, B[a]P and perylene and their potencies as AHH inducers in Sprague-Dawley rats, and this corresponds to previous correlations for the induction of AHH in rat hepatoma H-4-II E cells in culture. In contrast no such correlations existed between the AHH induction potencies of these polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and their affinities for the 4-5S binding protein. These data, coupled with the fact that the absence of the 4-5S binding protein in the -4S Sprague-Dawley rats did not affect AHH inducibility by MC, B[a]P or perylene, suggests that the 4-5S binding protein does not play a role in the transregulation of cytochrome P-4501A1 in the rat or rat hepatoma cells in culture.