Search

Fullerene C60 dissolved in polyvinylpyrrolidone was mutagenic for Salmonella strains TA102, TA104 and YG3003 in the presence of rat liver microsomes when it was irradiated by visible light. The mutagenicity was elevated in strain YG3003, a repair enzyme-deficient mutant of TA102. The mutation was reduced in the presence of beta-carotene and parabromophenacyl bromide, a scavenger and an inhibitor, respectively, of phospholipase. The results suggest that singlet oxygen was generated by irradiating the C60 by visible light and that the mutagenicity was due to oxidized phospholipids in rat liver microsomes. Of the phospholipids in rat liver microsomes, the linoleate fraction isolated by high performance liquid chromatography was a major component, and played an important role in mutagenicity. Methyl linoleate, which was prepared for gas chromatographic analysis, was readily oxidized to hydroperoxymethyl linoleate, and associated with both 10- and 12-hydroxyl derivatives with a double bond in chemical structure by singlet oxygen: radicals to the hydroxyl function were probably generated. Because of the instability of the hydroxymethyl linoleate radicals, guanine residues generated radicals. The results of ESR spectrum analysis suggested generation of radicals at the guanine base but not thymine, cytosine and adenine bases as estimated with the g value of 2.0150. On the other hand, the singlet oxygen-generating C60 formed 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) upon treatment with 2' deoxyguanosine and microsomes or linoleate. The formation of 8-OH-dG was highly elevated in the presence of microsomes and linoleate. The level of 8-OH-dG formed with and without the microsome fraction was 47 and 9.6 units, respectively, per 10(4) deoxyguanosine. It was considered that the mechanism is indirect action of singlet oxygen due to lipid peroxidation of linoleate that causes oxidative DNA damage.

To elucidate a relationship between lung cancer and tumor induction of environmental chemicals, the presence of 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in 137 Japanese (97 male and 40 female), and 21 Chinese lung specimens was examined by HPLC, and GC-MS and environmental exposure discussed. Mortality due to lung cancer in Fuyuan County, China, is much higher than that of other cancers. We investigated 21 patients who were residents of Fuyuan County. All were female aged 28-64 years and were non-smoking farmers and cooks. The histological features of the tumors were adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. The incidence of cancer was due to inhaling soot from the combustion of coal used for cooking and indoor heating. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chrysene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, B[a]P, benzo[g,h,i]perylene and pyrene, but not their nitrated derivatives, were detected in substantial amounts in the resected lungs. These mutagens and carcinogens normally originate in combustion products of coal, and are discussed as the possible initiators of the tumors in the lungs of these patients. All the Japanese lung specimens were also obtained from non-smokers. The concentrations of 1-NP averaged 21.3 +/- 12.4 and 5.9 +/- 2.4 pg/g of Japanese and Chinese samples respectively. The concentrations of B[a]P averaged 180.2 +/- 103.7 and 608.7 +/- 477.1 pg/g of Japanese and Chinese samples respectively. Thus, Japanese and Chinese lung specimens were mainly contaminated by 1-NP and B[a]P, respectively. Typical tissues from a carcinomatous human lung were examined. The patient was a 64-year-old Japanese male non-smoker and farmer who had raised chickens over a period of 40 years. The histological features of the tumor were those of keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. 1-Nitropyrene, 1-nitro-3-hydroxypyrene, 1,3-dinitropyrene and chrysene were detected at concentrations of 0.11, 0.036, 0.095 and 0.16 ng respectively per gram of lung tissue. This cancer was due to long-term exposure to the combustion products of heavy oil used in a chicken house.

3,9- and 3,7-Dinitrofluoranthene (3,9- and 3,7-DNF), 3-nitrofluoranthene (3-NF) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) were tested for pulmonary carcinogenicity by intrapulmonary implantation of the compounds into rat lung. These chemicals were given in various doses as suspensions in beeswax-trycaprylin and the animals were observed for 100 weeks. The control group received no drugs. The incidences of lung tumors were 19/21 (90.5%), 7/10 (70%) and 1/10 (10%) in rats treated with 200, 100 and 50 micrograms of 3,9-DNF, 4/9 (44.4%), 3/10 (30%) and 0/10 (0%) in rats treated with 200, 100 and 50 micrograms of B[a]P, 12/22 (54.5%) in rats treated with 200 micrograms of 3,7-DNF and 1/20 (5%) in rats treated with 1000 micrograms of 3-NF respectively. No lung tumors were found in control rats. The incidence of lung tumors induced by 3,9-DNF was twice as high as that induced by B[a]P, when the equivalent dose levels of the two compounds were compared. Histologically, most of the tumors induced by 3,9- and 3,7-DNF and B[a]P were squamous cell carcinomas.

Two dinitrofluoranthenes (DNFs) derived from 3-nitrofluoranthene were purified to over 99%, and tested for tumorigenicity in F344/DuCrj male rats. Rats were inoculated s.c. with 0.05 mg 3,7- or 3,9-DNF twice a week for 10 weeks. All 21 rats given 3,7-DNF and 10 of 11 rats (91%) given 3,9-DNF developed tumors at the injection site by 48 weeks after the first injection. Twenty of the 21 tumors induced by 3,7-DNF and seven of the 10 tumors induced by 3,9-DNF were classified as malignant fibrous histiocytoma, but one tumor in the 3,7-DNF-treated group and three tumors induced by 3,9-DNF showed typical features of rhabdomyosarcoma. The first tumors in 3,9-DNF-treated rats appeared on day 88 (on day average 117), 10 weeks earlier than in 3,7-DNF-treated ones (on day average 186).