Rat Liver S9 Mix Research Articles

Inability of GSTT1 to activate iodinated halomethanes to mutagens in Salmonella.

Drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs), including the ubiquitous trihalomethanes (THMs), are formed during the treatment of water with disinfectants (e.g., chlorine, chloramines) to produce and distribute potable water. Brominated THMs (Br-THMs) are activated to mutagens via glutathione S-transferase theta 1 (GSTT1); however, iodinated THMs (I-THMs) have never been evaluated for activation by GSTT1. Among the I-THMs, only triiodomethane (iodoform) has been tested previously for mutagenicity in Salmonella and was positive (in the absence of GSTT1) in three strains (TA98, TA100, and BA13), all of which have error-prone DNA repair (pKM101). We evaluated five I-THMs (chlorodiiodomethane, dichloroiodomethane, dibromoiodomethane, bromochloroiodomethane, and triiodomethane) for mutagenicity in Salmonella strain RSJ100, which expresses GSTT1, and its homologue TPT100, which does not; neither strain has pKM101. We also evaluated chlorodiiodo-, dichloroiodo-, and dibromoiodo-methanes in strain TA100 +/- rat liver S9 mix; TA100 has pKM101. None was mutagenic in any of the strains. The I-THMs were generally more cytotoxic than their brominated and chlorinated analogues but less cytotoxic than analogous trihalonitromethanes tested previously. All five I-THMs showed similar thresholds for cytotoxicity at ~2.5 μmoles/plate, possibly due to release of iodine, a well-known antimicrobial. Although none of these I-THMs was activated by GSTT1, iodoform appears to be the only I-THM that is mutagenic in Salmonella, only in strains deficient in nucleotide excision repair (uvrB) and having pKM101. Given that only iodoform is mutagenic among the I-THMs and is generally present at low concentrations in drinking water, the I-THMs likely play little role in the mutagenicity of drinking water.

The mutagenic potency of onion juice vs. its contents of quercetin and rutin

In spite of its considerable value as a predictor of in vivo genotoxicity and even for carcinogenicity, false positive cases were reported for the Ames test, e.g., with a number of natural food constituents. Here we analyzed the effects of juice of Allium cepa, the common onion, a staple food and traditional remedy used in many civilizations, in the Ames fluctuation assay. We could find mild mutagenicity with an onion juice extract in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100, the latter being less sensitive towards the extract. Mutagenicity was not influenced markedly by the presence of rat liver S9 mix. Onion juice also exerted some toxicity to the bacteria in the same concentration range. Comparative studies with quercetin and rutin, major flavonoid glycosides in onions, revealed a mutagenic potency of quercetin with an EC50-value of 4 μM in TA98. The contents of quercetin and rutin in onion juice were determined as 0.71 ± 0.20, and 0.71 ± 0.21 mg/kg. Calculations of quercetin and rutin concentrations in mutagenic dilutions revealed that both compounds are highly unlikely to cause the mutagenic effects of onion juice and that other yet undefined constituents must be responsible for these effects.

N-halamine polyelectrolytes used for preparation of antibacterial polypropylene nonwoven fabrics and study on their basal cytotoxicity and mutagenicity

Polymeric N-halamine precursors, cationic poly((3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride) (CHP) and anionic poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt) (AHP), were synthesized and coated onto polypropylene nonwoven fabrics via eco-friendly dipping and spraying methods. The successful coatings were characterized by EDS analysis. After exposure to diluted sodium hypochlorite solution, the coatings became biocidal. Antibacterial tests showed that PP-Dip-Cl samples could inactivate more than 5 logs of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 within 60 and 30 min, respectively. Although PP-Spray-Cl samples had a relatively low active chlorine content, all inoculated bacteria were inactivated within 60 min for both S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7. All the coatings showed proper storage stability under dark and lab-light conditions. The coated samples showed good air permeability. Basal cytotoxicity test showed that the estimated acute oral LD50 value was 209 ± 14 mg/kg b. w. and 353 ± 14 mg/kg b. w. for CHP-Cl and AHP-Cl, respectively and no indication of mutagenicity was observed with and without external metabolizing enzyme system (rat liver S9 mix) for both the two N-halamine compounds. The eco-friendly coatings have great potential for applications in hospitals.

Mutagenic Activity of N-Nitrosodiethylamine in Cell Lines Expressing Human CYP2E1-Adequacy of Dimethylsulfoxide as Solvent.

Human CYP2E1 metabolizes many xenobiotics of low-molecular weight, thereby activating various promutagens/procarcinogens. In toxicological studies in vitro, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is a common vehicle for organic compounds. However, it was observed to potently inhibit CYP2E1 activity. We were interested in whether it affects CYP2E1-dependent mutagenic responses. In this study, N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which is soluble in both water and DMSO, was used as a model promutagen. It induced Hprt gene mutations and micronuclei in a Chinese hamster V79-derived cell line expressing both human CYP2E1 and sulfotransferase (SULT) 1A1 (V79-hCYP2E1-hSULT1A1) even at low-micromolar concentrations, but was inactive in parental V79 cells. Mutagenicity of NDEA was also observed in a recombinant V79-hCYP2E1 cell line that expresses human CYP2E1 at a lower level. NDEA induced micronuclei in human L-02 hepatocytes which expressed CYP2E1 even more weakly. DMSO did not modify NDEA-induced gene mutations or micronuclei, up to 0.2% (v:v, the highest noncytotoxic concentration) in V79-hCYP2E1-hSULT1A1 cells. In parental V79-Mz cells, NDEA induced micronuclei with Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver S9 mix, and this effect was unaffected by DMSO up to 0.2%. However, it inhibited the effect of NDEA in L-02 (by 44%) and V79-hCYP2E1 cells (by 70%) at 0.2%, with the effects of NDEA remaining statistically significant. No effect of DMSO was observed on CYP2E1 protein expression in V79-hCYP2E1-hSULT1A1 or its mRNA transcripts in each cell line. We conclude that DMSO may not significantly affect CYP2E1-dependent mutagenic effects, at concentrations up to 0.2% in cells with relatively high CYP2E1 expression. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60:214-226, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cytotoxic and genotoxic profiles of benzo[a]pyrene and N-nitrosodimethylamine demonstrated using DNA repair deficient DT40 cells with metabolic activation.

Benzo[a]pyrene and N-nitrosodimethylamine are major genotoxic compounds present in cigarette smoke, food and oil. To examine the type(s) of DNA damage induced by these compounds, we used a panel of DNA-repair-pathway-deficient mutants generated from chicken DT40 cells and achieved metabolic activation of the test compounds by including rat liver S9 mix. Consistent with expections, benzo[a]pyrene and N-nitrosodimethylamine require metabolicactivation to become genotoxic. The REV3(-/-) mutant cell line exhibited the highest sensitivity, in terms of increased cytotoxicity, to the both compounds after metabolic activation consistent with the known ability of these two compounds to induce DNA adducts. Strikingly, we found that the RAD54(-/-)/KU70(-/-) cell line, a mutant defective in the repair of double-strand breaks, is sensitive to benzo[a]pyrene, suggesting that this compound also induces strand breaks in these cells. In this study we combined a previously employed method, metabolic activation by S9 mix, with the use of a DNA-repair mutant panel, thereby broadening the range of compounds that can be screened for potential genotoxicity.

Alteration of anti-inflammatory activity of Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw) extract after external metabolic activation with S9 mix.

Extracts of the tubers of Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw, DC) inhibit different proinflammatory mediators important in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. Many plant-derived preparations interfere with cytochrome P450 liver enzymes, which influence their different biological activities. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the influence of an external metabolic activation of a DC extract on the cytotoxicity and the release of proinflammatory cytokines. A screening experiment with a panel of 12 inflammatory cytokines identified three as suitable for the study: tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) IL-6 and IL-8. They were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocytic THP-1 cells, which were treated with rat liver S9 mix metabolically activated DC extract (DCm). For the cytotoxity experiments, a WST-1 assay was used. DC dose-dependently suppressed the release of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in LPS-stimulated monocytic THP-1 cells at non-cytotoxic concentrations (50-250 μg/ml). The metabolic activation of the DC extract by S9 mix did not alternate its cytotoxicity and did not diminish its inhibitory effect. This effect was improved in the case of TNF-α inhibition as reflected by their EC50 values of 116 ± 8.2 μg/ml and 49 ± 3.5 μg/ml for DC and DCm (P < 0.01). Cytokines inhibitory activity of DC was not affected after its external metabolic activation. However, the amount of harpagoside and caffeic acid derivates was decreased. Other components of the extract might have contributed to its anti-inflammatory effect.

Genotoxicity Profile of Azidothymidine In Vitro

Azidothymidine (Zidovudine, AZT) is part of the standard care of treatment for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome since many years. A great number of studies on the genotoxic potential of AZT have been published, but no comprehensive hypothesis yet explains all observations. We investigated a multitude of genotoxic endpoints, both in vitro and in vivo, with the goal to complete the picture. The mutagenic potential of AZT in bacteria was found to be restricted to strains with an "ochre" target sequence and could be abrogated both by thymidine supplementation and rat liver S9 mix. Single-strand breaks in mammalian cells were detected in the comet assay after short-term treatment (3h) with AZT, which did not induce micronuclei. The latter were mainly seen after prolonged exposure (24 and 48h) and are probably not directly related to AZT incorporation into DNA. Our data demonstrate that short-term exposure to low AZT concentrations does not induce biologically relevant micronucleation. Only treatment with high concentrations of AZT for prolonged time periods manifests in substantial micronucleus induction. Furthermore, we found that high concentrations of thymidine have no effect in the comet assay but increase micronucleus frequency in a manner very similar to AZT. These results lead us to the following hypothesis: AZT is triphosphorylated and then incorporated into DNA strands, leading to mutations and cytotoxicity. Cellular attempts to repair these DNA lesions as well as stalled replication forks due to chain termination are detectable with the comet assay. Increased micronucleus frequency is likely related to nucleotide pool imbalance.

Olive (Olea europaea L.) leaf extract counteracts genotoxicity and oxidative stress of permethrin in human lymphocytes

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of olive leaf extract (OLE) on genotoxicity and oxidative damage in cultured human blood cells treated with permethrin (PM) in the presence of a rat liver S9 mix containing cytochrome P 450 enzymes. Anti-genotoxic activities of OLE were studied using sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosome aberration (CA) tests and furthermore total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative status (TOS) were examined to determine the oxidative damage. Our results clearly revealed that treatment with PM (200 mg/l) alone increased SCE and CA rates and TOS level, decreased TAC level in cultured human blood cells. The OLE alone at the all tested doses did not induce any significant changes in the genotoxicity endpoint. However OLE leads to increases of plasma TAC level in vitro. OLE starts showing this positive effect at 100 mg/l. The combined treatment showed significant improvements in cytogenetic and biochemical parameters tested. Moreover, this improvement was more pronounced in the group received the high dose of the OLE. It could be concluded that the ethanol extract of OLE induced its genoprotective effect via the increase in the antioxidant capacity, inhibition of oxidative stress and scavenging of free radicals.

Identification Strategy Using Combined Mass Spectrometric Techniques for Elucidation of Phase I and Phase II in Vitro Metabolites of Lipophilic Marine Biotoxins

Combining mass spectrometric tools, a total of 47 in vitro metabolites of okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxins 1 and 2 (DTX1 and DTX2), yessotoxin (YTX), azaspiracid1 (AZA1), and pectenotoxin 2 (PTX2) could be detected and confirmed after an incubation with rat liver S9-mix. In a first step, liquid chromatography (LC) combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used as a screening tool for the identification of in vitro metabolites of lipophilic marine biotoxins. Metabolic phase I and phase II reactions were screened for metabolites by calculating and subsequently monitoring theoretical MS transitions. In a second step, metabolites were confirmed by determination of accurate masses using high resolution MS provided by Orbitrap technology. Subsequently, product ion spectra, precursor ion spectra, and MS3 spectra were recorded for structure elucidation of metabolites. While all investigated toxins were found to form various oxygenated metabolites during the oxidative phase I metabolism, those metabolites varied in the number of added oxygen atoms and in the number of individual isomers. No hints were obtained concerning the formation of glutathione adducts, and a conjugation with glucuronic acid was detected for AZA1 only.

Genotoxicity studies on HM10760A, recombinant human erythropoietin conjugated to globin fragment

HM10760A is a recombinant human erythropoietin chemically conjugated to the N-terminus of human immunoglobulin Fc fragment through a polyethylene glycol linker. HM10760A was shown to have a relatively long half-life, compared with unconjugated recombinant erythropoietin. In this study, the genotoxicity of HM10760A was investigated by using a test battery of three different methods. In the Ames assay, five strains (TA100, TA1535, TA98, TA1537, and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA) were tested at six concentrations of 3.13, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 μg/plate. HM10760A did not increase the number of revertant colonies in any tester strains with and without metabolic activation by rat-liver S9 mix. Subsequently, in vitro chromosomal aberration test, using Chinese hamster lung cells, were conducted at the concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL. HM10760A did not induce chromosomal aberrations either in the short-period (6 hours) test with or without rat-liver S9 mix or in the continuous-treatment (24 hours) test. In the in vivo bone marrow micronucleus assay using the male ICR (imprinting control region) mouse, HM10760A was subcutaneously administered twice at 24-hour intervals at doses of 0, 150, 300, and 600 μg/kg. HM10760A produced a slight, but statistically significant, increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at 600 μg/kg. However, no biological significance was assumed, because this value was within the historical control range. From these findings obtained from the genotoxicity assays performed in this study, it appears unlikely that HM10760A acts as a genotoxic agent in vitro and in vivo.

Modification of mutagenic activity of benzo[a]pyrene by trace elements in the Ames assay

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is one of the most ubiquitous environmental contaminants and exerts potent carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. In the presence of rat liver S9 mix, four trace elements, germanium (Ge), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and molybdenium (Mo), were included in the Ames Salmonella microsome/mutagenic assay to test their inhibitory effects on BaP-induced mutations. All trace elements were found to exert an inhibitory effect in tester TA98 and TA100 strains; Fe was the most potent among the elements tested, whereas Zn was weakly inhibitory to prevent mutations. The present findings demonstrate that the antimutagenic potential of trace elements, notably Fe, may be attributed to its modulatory effect on the bioactivation and detoxification processes of BaP.

Identification and Characterization of Sesaminol Metabolites in the Liver

Sesame seeds contain a number of antioxidants, such as sesamin, sesamolin, sesaminol, and sesaminol glucosides. Sesaminol triglucoside was reported to suppress oxidative stress in vivo, but little is known about the metabolism of this potentially important compound. Therefore, we have studied the metabolites of sesaminol formed in the rat liver S9 mix and excreted in the liver of rats ingesting sesaminol triglucoside for 24 h. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses revealed that rat liver S9 mix transformed the sesaminol into a catechol-type metabolite. On the basis of a previous study with sesame lignans by culturing the genus Aspergillus , sesaminol-6-catechol was identified as the major metabolite. Sesaminol was further converted into 5''-methylated sesaminol-6-catechol by catechol-O-methyltransferase. Moreover, we successfully detected these metabolites in the liver of rats ingesting the sesaminol triglucoside.

Genotoxicity studies on HM10760A, recombinant human erythropoietin conjugated to globin fragment

HM10760A is a recombinant human erythropoietin chemically conjugated to the N-terminus of human immunoglobulin Fc fragment through a polyethylene glycol linker. HM10760A was shown to have a relatively long half-life, compared with unconjugated recombinant erythropoietin. In this study, the genotoxicity of HM10760A was investigated by using a test battery of three different methods. In the Ames assay, five strains (TA100, TA1535, TA98, TA1537, and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA) were tested at six concentrations of 3.13, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100microg/plate. HM10760A did not increase the number of revertant colonies in any tester strains with and without metabolic activation by rat-liver S9 mix. Subsequently, in vitro chromosomal aberration test, using Chinese hamster lung cells, were conducted at the concentrations of 25, 50, and 100microg/mL. HM10760A did not induce chromosomal aberrations either in the short-period (6 hours) test with or without rat-liver S9 mix or in the continuous-treatment (24 hours) test. In the in vivo bone marrow micronucleus assay using the male ICR (imprinting control region) mouse, HM10760A was subcutaneously administered twice at 24-hour intervals at doses of 0, 150, 300, and 600microg/kg. HM10760A produced a slight, but statistically significant, increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at 600microg/kg. However, no biological significance was assumed, because this value was within the historical control range. From these findings obtained from the genotoxicity assays performed in this study, it appears unlikely that HM10760A acts as a genotoxic agent in vitro and in vivo.

Nicotine, Tar, and Mutagenicity of Mainstream Smoke Generated by Machine Smoking with International Organization for Standardization and Health Canada Intense Regimens of Major Japanese Cigarette Brands

Based upon the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the World Health Organization (WHO) ha sr ecommended that health authorities disclose toxicological properties of cigarette mainstream smoke (MSS) obtained not only according to US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)/International Organization for Standardization (ISO) conditions but also by more intense conditions such as the Health Canada Intense (HCI) condition. This is because smokers are believed to smoke more intensely than machine smoking under the ISO regimen. Because there are no previous reports on the toxicological properties of MSS of Japanese cigarettes under the HCI condition, we determined nicotine and water contents by gas chromatography (GC-MS and GC/Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD)) for three product lots each of the ten bestselling brands of Japanese cigarettes following the WHO protocol. One of the three lots of each MSS condensate was also resolved in dimethylsulfoxide and investigated by Ames preincubation assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA100, TA98, and YG1024 strains with and without metabolic activation (rat liver S9 mix). Nicotine and tar yields with the HCI regimen were higher than those with ISO, the latter being very close to the values described on the packages of each cigarette brand. Mutagenicity was mainly observed in TA98 and YG1024 with metabolic activation. Mutagenic activity of MSS with the HCI regimen was 1.4–9 times higher than that with the ISO regimen. Based on YG1024 with activation, high activities were observed in several “low yield” brands. The activity of “low-yield” brands with the HCI regimen was not always lower than that of regular-yield brands with the ISO regimen. These results suggest that “low yield” cigarettes do not result in reduced exposure or reduced risk to humans.

Genotoxicity studies on licorice flavonoid oil (LFO)

Licorice flavonoid oil (LFO) is a new functional food ingredient. In this study, the genotoxicity of LFO was investigated using a test battery of three different methods. In a reverse mutation assay using four Salmonella typhimurium strains and Escherichia coli, LFO did not increase the number of revertant colonies in any tester strain with or without metabolic activation by rat liver S9 mix. In a chromosomal aberration test using Chinese hamster lung (CHL/IU) cells, LFO did not induce any chromosomal aberrations either in the short period test without rat liver S9 mix or in the continuous treatment (24 h or 48 h) test. However, in the short-period test with rat liver S9 mix, LFO induced structural chromosomal aberrations at concentrations higher than 0.6 mg/mL. A bone marrow micronucleus test using male F344 rats was initially conducted. The animals were dosed by oral gavage at doses up to 5000 mg/kg/day. No significant or dose-dependent increases in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) were observed and the high dose suppressed the ratio of polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) to total erythrocytes. Subsequently, a liver and peripheral blood micronucleus test using male F344 rats was conducted. No micronuclei induction either in hepatocytes or PCE was observed even at the highest dose of 5000 mg/kg/day. From the findings obtained from the genotoxicity assays performed in this study and the published pharmacokinetic studies of LFO, it appears unlikely that dietary consumption of LFO will present any genotoxic hazard to humans.

Occurrence and estrogenicity of phenolics in paper‐recycling process water: Pollutants originating from thermal paper in waste paper

Eight phenolics were detected in samples collected from areas where paper-recycling process water is discharged. The detected concentration levels were up to 270 microg/L and 230 microg/g in water samples and sediment samples, respectively, obtained from both the outfall of the paper-recycling process water and its downstream areas. In particular, totarol (compound 4), 2,4-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (compound 6), 4,4'-butylidenebis(6-t-butyl-m-cresol) (compound 7), 2,4-bis(1-phenylethyl)-6-chlorophenol (compound 8), and 4-hydroxy-4'-isopropoxydiphenyl sulfone (compound 9) were identified for the first time as environmental pollutants. The estrogenicities of the identified compounds were assessed by yeast two-hybrid assays incorporating either the human or medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) estrogen receptor alpha (hERalpha and medERalpha, respectively) and an estrogen receptor competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ER-ELISA) both with and without metabolic activation by a rat liver S9 mix. Bisphenol A (compound 3) and 2-naphthol (compound 1) exhibited activity in the assays of both hERalpha and medERalpha without the S9 mix. The relative activity (%) to 17beta-estradiol was 0.0015% for compound 3 and 0.0009% for compound 1 in the hERalpha assay and 0.027% for compound 3 and 0.0093% for compound 1 in the medERalpha assay. These compounds were attenuated by the S9 mix. The binding affinity was evaluated using an ER-ELISA. Compounds 3, 4, 6, and 7 exhibited affinity without the S9 mix. After exposure to the S9 mix, however, the binding affinity of compound 7 was eliminated by the S9 mix; those of compounds 3, 4, and 6 were attenuated; and that of compound 8 exhibited affinity. A comprehensive assessment of the estrogenicities of the phenolics originating from thermal paper and their implications for an aquatic environment may require an examination of the components of the phenolics, as in the present study.

Development of an in vitro assay for the investigation of metabolism-induced drug hepatotoxicity

In a number of adverse drug reactions leading to hepatotoxicity drug metabolism is thought to be involved by generation of reactive metabolites from nontoxic drugs. In this study, an in vitro assay was developed for measurement of the impact of metabolic activation of compound on the cytotoxicity toward a human hepatic cell line. HepG2 cells were treated for 6 h with compound in the presence or absence of rat liver S9-mix, and the viability was measured using the MTT test. The cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide was substantially increased by S9-mix in the presence of NADPH. Three NADPH sources were tested: NADPH (1 mmol/L) or NADPH regenerating system with either NADP(+)/glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) or NADP(+)/isocitrate. All three NADPH sources increased the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide to a similar extent. Eight test compounds known to cause hepatotoxicity were tested. For these, only the cytotoxicity of diclofenac was increased by S9 enzymes when an NADPH regenerating system was used. The increased toxicity was NADPH dependent. Reactive drug metabolites of diclofenac, formed by NADPH-dependent metabolism, were identified by LC-MS. Furthermore, an increase in toxicity, not related to enzymatic activity but to G6P, was observed for diclofenac and minocycline. Tacrine and amodiaquine displayed decreased toxicity with S9-mix, and carbamazepine, phenytoin, bromfenac and troglitazone were nontoxic at all tested concentrations, with or without S9-mix. The results show that this method, with measurement of the cytotoxicity of a compound in the presence of an extracellular metabolizing system, may be useful in the study of cytotoxicity of drug metabolites.

Effects of various plant polyphenols on bladder carcinogen benzidine-induced mutagenicity

Benzidine (Bz), a human bladder carcinogen, was strongly mutagenic to Salmonella TA102 tester strain in the Ames Salmonella microsome/mutagenicity assay in the presence of rat liver S9 mix. Various non-mutagenic plant polyphenols were included in the assay to test their inhibitory effects on the Bz-induced mutations. Coumestrol, ellagic acid (EA), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epichatechingallate (ECG), gallic acid (GA), (−)-gallocatechin (GC), plumbagin, propyl gallate (PG), taxifolin, and 2,2′,4′-trihydroxychalcone were found to have a strong inhibitory effect on Bz-induced mutations. (−)-Epigallo-catechingallate (EGCG), fisetin, (−)-gallocatechingallate (GCG), and piceatannol were moderately inhibitory to the mutations; whereas, (−)-catechin, (−)-catechingallate (CG), and reseveratrol were weakly inhibitory to the mutations. (−)-Epigallocatechin (EGC) and 7,3′,4′-trihydroxy isoflavon were not inhibitory to the Bz-induced mutations. Isoliquirtigenin, quercetin dihydrate, and rhein were found to be mutagenic in tester strain TA102. Benzidine mediated lipid peroxidation was conducted employing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay using linoleic acid as a substrate. In the presence of rat liver S9 mix, Bz could cause lipid peroxidation as an outcome of production of oxygen free radicals. Incorporation of the above mentioned non-mutagenic plant polyphenols significantly inhibited benzidine mediated lipid peroxidation in a time dependent manner. These polyphenols also effectively reduced the iron mediated lipid peroxidation. Thus, it is concluded that the inhibition of oxidative mutagenicity of Bz by plant polyphenols could be due to an inhibitory effect of plant polyphenols on the bioactivating enzymes such as cytochrome P-450 and peroxidase and the chelation of iron present in the cytochrome P-450 in the S9 mix. Thus, these plant polyphenols play a significant inhibitory role on Bz-induced mutagenicity.

Oxidative DNA damage induced by Ochratoxin A in the HK-2 human kidney cell line: evidence of the relationship with cytotoxicity

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by species of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. The kidneys are the target organ of this mycotoxin and it is considered a potent renal carcinogen in male rats. The mechanisms of its genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have been studied thoroughly, but controversial results have been published. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of OTA to produce single-strand DNA breaks and oxidative DNA damage in the human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2), due to the fact that there is no study on human kidney cells as the toxic target. In addition, we attempted to determine if biotransformation processes mediate OTA genotoxicity. Therefore, single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) was performed after 3h- and 6h-treatments using different OTA concentrations, both cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic, in order to be able to distinguish a genotoxic effect of the mycotoxin from an indirect effect derived from its general cellular toxicity. No effect was shown where no cytotoxicity was found, both in the presence and in the absence of metabolic activation (10% rat liver S9-mix). However, oxidative DNA damage was shown at cytotoxic concentrations when formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG) and endonucleaseIII (EndoIII) were introduced in the assay with or without metabolic activation. Furthermore, at these concentrations, an elevation of reactive oxygen species was measured and pre-incubation with N-acetyl-L-cysteine was able to produce a slight protective effect on OTA-induced oxidative DNA damage as well as cytotoxicity. These data suggest that OTA is not acting as a direct genotoxic carcinogen and that oxidative stress is implicated in the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity observed in these human renal cells.

Investigating DNA Adduct-Targeted Mutagenicity of Tamoxifen: Preferential Formation of Tamoxifen−DNA Adducts in the Human p53 Gene in SV40 Immortalized Hepatocytes but Not Endometrial Carcinoma Cells

Tamoxifen is a widely used drug for chemotherapy and chemoprevention of breast cancer worldwide. Tamoxifen therapy is, however, associated with an increased incidence of endometrial cancer. The carcinogenicity of tamoxifen is ascribed to its genotoxic and estrogen agonist effects. We investigated DNA adduct-targeted mutagenicity of tamoxifen as a function of its genotoxicity in the cII transgene in Big Blue mouse embryonic fibroblasts and mapped the formation of tamoxifen-induced DNA adducts in the p53 tumor suppressor gene in SV40 immortalized human hepatocytes and human endometrial carcinoma cells. We used the terminal transferase-dependent polymerase chain reaction for mapping of DNA adducts in the cII and p53 genes. We utilized a lambda phage-based assay and DNA sequencing for determining cII mutant frequency and mutation spectrum, respectively. Tamoxifen treatment yielded polymerase-blocking DNA adducts at multiple nucleotide positions along the cII transgene. The treatment significantly and dose-dependently increased the cII mutant frequency (p < 0.01), leaving a unique mutation spectrum (p < 0.0001) and a signature mutation of G:C --> T:A transversions (p < 0.03), relative to the control. Tamoxifen treatment of the immortalized human hepatocytes but not endometrial carcinoma cells, even in the presence of an external activation system, i.e., rat liver S9 mix, induced DNA adducts at specific codons along exons 6 and 8 of the p53 gene. These data suggest a proficient metabolic activation of tamoxifen in human liver and an inefficient activation and/or efficient detoxification of tamoxifen in human endometrium. Because the liver is essentially a mitotically quiescent organ, tamoxifen-DNA adduction in the liver may, at least partially, prevent its reactants from reaching highly proliferative organs via, e.g., circulating blood. Thus, tamoxifen-DNA adduction in the liver may not have as significant biological consequences as it might have in highly proliferative organs. Our findings favor an involvement of a nongenotoxic mechanism in tamoxifen-associated human endometrial cancer.