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J D Groopman

Publications and source records attributed to J D Groopman.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Induction of base substitution mutations by aflatoxin B1 is mucAB dependent in Escherichia coli.

Recovery of aflatoxin B1-induced base substitution mutations in Escherichia coli was almost completely dependent on the presence of the SOS-mutagenesis-enhancing operon mucAB+; the normal E. coli analog, umuDC+, was not sufficient. Yet aflatoxin B1 induced the SOS response, including the umuDC operon, as well as did UV light. Neither preinduction of the SOS response nor the presence of additional copies of umuDC+ allowed the recovery of aflatoxin B1-induced base substitutions. Thus, the premutagenic DNA lesions induced by aflatoxin B1 reveal a functional difference between UmuDC and MucAB. We estimate that in the presence of MucAB the probability that aflatoxin B1-induced DNA lesions will be converted into mutations is increased at least 10-fold.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Do aflatoxin-DNA adduct measurements in humans provide accurate data for cancer risk assessment?

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most lethal and most common cancers in Africa and Asia and is associated with exposure to aflatoxin (AF) B1. To date, many human studies have relied upon presumptive intake data, rather than on quantitative analyses of AF-DNA adduct and metabolite content obtained by monitoring biological fluids from exposed people. Information obtained by monitoring exposed individuals for specific DNA adducts and metabolites will define the pharmacokinetics of AFB1, thereby facilitating risk assessment. In addition, using an animal model based on the differential effects of ethoxyquin on the kinetics of AF-DNA adduct and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci formation, we have data to support the concept that measurement of the major, rapidly excised AFB-7-guanine (Gua) adduct in tissues and fluids is an appropriate dosimeter for estimating exposure status and risk in individuals consuming this mycotoxin.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Mechanism of protection against aflatoxin tumorigenicity in rats fed 5-(2-pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiol-3-thione (oltipraz) and related 1,2-dithiol-3-thiones and 1,2-dithiol-3-ones.

1,2-Dithiol-3-thiones, reported constituents of cruciferous vegetables, are five-membered cyclic sulfur-containing compounds with antioxidant, chemotherapeutic, and chemoprotective activities. The effects of dietary administration of a substituted 1,2-dithiol-3-thione, oltipraz [5-(2-pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiol-3-thione], a potent antischistosomal agent, on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) metabolism, DNA adduct formation, and hepatic tumorigenesis were examined in male F344 rats. Rats were fed graded doses of oltipraz (0.01-0.1%) for 4 wk. During the second and third wk of oltipraz feeding rats were gavaged with 250 micrograms of AFB1/kg five times a wk. Rats were finally restored to control diet 1 wk after cessation of AFB1 dosing. At 4 months focal areas of hepatocellular alteration were identified and quantitated by staining sections of liver for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. Treatment with oltipraz at all doses reduced by greater than 90% the volume of liver occupied by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci. Levels of AFB1 bound to hepatic DNA were reduced between 40 and 80% in animals fed increasing doses of dietary oltipraz (0.01-0.1%) for 1 wk prior to a single exposure to AFB1. Feeding of the higher levels of oltipraz led to marked increases in the specific activity of glutathione S-transferases, presumably serving to facilitate the detoxication of the ultimate electrophilic form of AFB1, the 8,9-oxide. At low dietary concentrations of oltipraz (0.01%), the only inductive effects seen were on the activities of selected cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases. Therefore, the protection afforded by oltipraz may be due to both the enhancement of electrophile detoxication pathways as well as modified oxidative metabolism of AFB1. In in vitro metabolism studies with hepatic post-mitochondrial supernatant, low-dose oltipraz pretreatment facilitated the oxidative production of aflatoxins P1 and Q1, but not M1, from AFB1. High-dose (0.1%) oltipraz pretreatment enhanced the primary metabolism of AFB1 to aflatoxins P1, M1, and Q1 as well as the formation of chloroform-insoluble metabolites. Feeding studies with a series of 1,2-dithiol-3-thione and 1,2-dithiol-3-one derivatives of oltipraz demonstrated that the inductive activity for cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases and electrophile detoxication enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferases, could be readily separated by minor modifications of the 1,2-dithiol-3-thione structure. The unsubstituted 1,2-dithiol-3-thione nucleus strongly induced electrophile detoxication enzymes, but not the monooxygenases, and was the most effective inhibitor of the binding of AFB1 to hepatic DNA in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aflatoxin B1↗

The use of monoclonal antibody affinity columns for assessing DNA damage and repair following exposure to aflatoxin B1.

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most lethal and common cancers in the world. It is particularly prevalent on the continents of Africa and Asia. A number of epidemiological studies have associated the exposure status of people to aflatoxin B1 as being important in the etiology of liver cancer. However, to date these studies have relied upon the criteria of presumptive intake data, rather than relying upon quantitative analyses of aflatoxin-DNA adduct and metabolite content obtained by monitoring biological fluids from exposed people. Information obtained by monitoring exposed individuals for specific DNA adducts and metabolites will define the pharmacokinetics of aflatoxin B1 in people, thereby facilitating risk assessments. We have developed monoclonal antibodies specific for aflatoxin metabolites, especially the DNA adducts. These monoclonal antibodies are used in solid phase immunoassays for the preparative purification of these aflatoxin derivatives from biological fluids. These methods in conjunction with other analytical procedures have resulted in the development of rapid protocols used to quantitatively measure aflatoxins in urine obtained from people dietarily exposed to this carcinogen. The people examined live in the Gambia and high liver cancer regions in the People's Republic of China. We have recently completed a pilot study in China where we have now begun to identify the pharmacokinetic parameters associated with chronic exposure of aflatoxin B1 in the diet. Despite the development of these new technologies, we must continue to define animal model systems which can be used to interpret the human data. Our work using animal models based on the differential effects of ethoxyquin on the kinetics of aflatoxin-DNA adducts and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci formation indicate that the direct linear extrapolation of total adduct content in target tissues to dose may be inappropriate to assign risk to people (or rats). However, our findings do support the concept that measurement of the major, rapidly excised AFB1-N7-Gua adduct in tissues and fluids is an appropriate dosimeter for estimating exposure status and risk in individuals consuming this mycotoxin. Further studies employing different classes of modifiers of aflatoxin carcinogenesis in rodent models should better define the relationships between hepatic and urinary levels of AFB1-N7-Gua and susceptibility to neoplasia.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Inhibition of aflatoxin B1 mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium and DNA damage in cultured rat and human tracheobronchial tissues by ellagic acid.

Ellagic acid (EA), a plant phenol found in various fruits and nuts, was examined for its ability to inhibit aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) mutagenesis in strain TA 100 of Salmonella typhimurium. In the presence of rat liver S-9 microsomal preparation, EA (1.5 microgram/plate) inhibited the number of mutations induced by AFB1 (0.5 microgram/plate) by 50%. EA at a dose of 1000 micrograms/plate inhibited the mutation frequency by greater than 90%. EA was also tested for its ability to inhibit the DNA binding and adduct formation of AFB1 in cultured explants of rat trachea and human tracheobronchus. Explants were incubated in medium containing EA at concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 microM for 16 h followed by the addition of 1 microM [3H]AFB1 and EA for 24 h. DNA was isolated by phenol extraction and hydroxylapatite chromatography. EA caused a dose-dependent inhibition in the covalent binding of AFB1 to the DNA of both the rat trachea (9-57% inhibition) and human tracheobronchus (24-79% inhibition). After acid hydrolysis of the isolated DNA, the AFB1-DNA adducts were separated by h.p.l.c. In tissues from both species, the major AFB1- DNA adducts were AFB1-N7-Gua [8,9-dihydro-8-(N7-guanyl)-9-hydroxyAFB1] and AFB1-N7-FaPyr (major) [8,9-dihydro-8- (2,6-diamino-4-oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimid-5-yl formamido)-9-hydroxyAFB1], and the formation of these adducts was reduced by 28-76% in the presence of EA. These data indicate that EA has the potential to act as a naturally occurring inhibitor of AFB1-related respiratory damage in rats and in humans.

Aflatoxin B1↗

DNA adducts of nitropyrene detected by specific antibodies.

Rabbit antisera containing polyclonal antibodies specific for the 1-nitropyrene derivatives, (1-acetylaminopyrene, 1-acetylamino-6-nitropyrene, 1-acetylamino-8-nitropyrene) and the major nitropyrene-DNA adduct, C-8-aminopyrene-deoxyguanosine, were obtained from New Zealand White male rabbits that were immunized with 1-nitrosopyrene-modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The affinity constants of the rabbit antisera for these derivatives ranged from 1 to 3 x 10(8) liters/mole. The ability of the antisera to detect 1-nitrosopyrene and the parent 1-nitropyrene was 25- to 30-fold less than the sensitivity to other metabolites. Female BALB/c and AJ mice were also immunized with 1-nitrosopyrene-modified KLH and 4 out of 18 surviving animals produced a low titer response when measured by an [3H] acetylaminopyrene-based radioimmunoassay. Mice that were immunized with a diazotized derived 1-aminopyrene bovine gamma globulin, 1-nitrosopyrene adducted bovine gamma globulin, and 1-nitrosopyrene-bound bovine serum albumin, produced very low immune responses. Spleen cells from selected mice were fused with myeloma cells but failed to produce stable clones that secreted nitropyrene-specific monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, the use of a 1-nitrosopyrene modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin to elicit an immune response specific for the nitropyrene moiety in one animal species (rabbit) was successful in producing a specific antisera. The immune response produced in mice and rabbits was much lower when compared to that produced by other chemically derived antigens we have used, such as the aflatoxins and 4-aminobiphenyl. The rabbit data encourages a continued attempt to produce monoclonal antibodies specific for nitropyrene. Such antibodies can be used in the development of preparative and analytical techniques to isolate and quantify nitropyrenes in biological samples from exposed human populations.

Animals↗

Analytical methods for assessing exposure to 4-aminobiphenyl based on protein adduct formation.

Past studies with animals have demonstrated that 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) administration results in the formation of appreciable amounts of adducts between the carcinogen and both serum albumin and hemoglobin. The hemoglobin adduct is relatively stable in vivo, but may be readily hydrolyzed in vitro to regenerate ABP. The formation of this adduct reflects a mixed-function oxidase-mediated metabolic pathway operating directly on the amine. The predominant albumin adduct, 3-(tryptophan-N1-yl)-4-acetylaminobiphenyl, reflects the contribution of N-acetyltransferase activity as well as mixed function oxidase activity to the overall metabolism. The simultaneous measurement of these two different adducts thus offers an opportunity to investigate the role of both ABP and acetylator phenotype in bladder carcinogenesis. An analytical method, using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture detection, was developed to quantitate ABP adducted to hemoglobin.

Aminobiphenyl Compounds↗

Modulation of aflatoxin metabolism, aflatoxin-N7-guanine formation, and hepatic tumorigenesis in rats fed ethoxyquin: role of induction of glutathione S-transferases.

The effects of dietary administration of ethoxyquin (EQ) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) metabolism, DNA adduct formation and removal, and hepatic tumorigenesis were examined in male Fischer rats. Rats were fed a semipurified diet containing 0.4% EQ for 1 wk, gavaged with 250 micrograms of AFB1 per kg 5 times a wk during the next 2 wk, and, finally, restored to the control diet 1 wk after cessation of dosing. At 4 mo, focal areas of hepatocellular alteration were identified and quantitated by staining sections of liver for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Treatment with EQ reduced by greater than 95% both area and volume of liver occupied by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive foci. Utilizing the same multiple dosing protocol, patterns of covalent modifications of DNA by AFB1 were determined. EQ produced a dramatic reduction in the binding of AFB1 to hepatic DNA: 18-fold initially and 3-fold at the end of the dosing period. Although binding was detectable at 3 and 4 mo postdosing, no effect of EQ was observed, suggesting that these persistent adducts are not of primary relevance to AFB1 carcinogenesis. Analysis of nucleic acid bases by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed no qualitative differences in adduct species between treatment groups. The inhibitory effect of EQ on AFB1 binding to DNA and tumorigenesis appears related to induction of detoxication enzymes. Rats fed 0.4% EQ for 7 days showed a 5-fold increase in hepatic cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST)-specific activities. Multiple molecular forms of GST were induced, and concomitant elevations in messenger RNA levels coding for the synthesis of GST subunits were observed. Correspondingly, biliary elimination of AFB1-glutathione conjugate was increased 4.5-fold in animals on the EQ diet during the first 2 h following p.o. administration of 250 micrograms of AFB1 per kg. Thus, induction by EQ of enzymes important to AFB1 detoxication, such as GST, can lead to enhanced carcinogen elimination, as well as reductions of AFB1-DNA adduct formation and subsequent expression of preneoplastic lesions, and, ultimately, neoplasia.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Aflatoxin metabolism in humans: detection of metabolites and nucleic acid adducts in urine by affinity chromatography.

A high-affinity IgM monoclonal antibody specific for aflatoxins was covalently bound to Sepharose 4B and used as a preparative column to isolate aflatoxin derivatives from the urine of people and experimental animals who had been exposed to the carcinogen environmentally or under laboratory conditions. Aflatoxin levels were quantified by radioimmunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography after elution from the affinity column. In studies on rats injected with [14C]aflatoxin B1, we identified the major aflatoxin-DNA adduct, 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxy-aflatoxin B1 (AFB1-N7-Gua), and the oxidative metabolites M1 and P1 as the major aflatoxin species present in the urine. When this methodology was applied to human urine samples obtained from people from the Guangxi Province of China exposed to aflatoxin B1 through dietary contamination, the aflatoxin metabolites detected were also AFB1-N7-Gua and aflatoxins M1 and P1. Therefore, affinity chromatography using a monoclonal antibody represents a useful and rapid technique with which to isolate this carcinogen and its metabolites in biochemical epidemiology and for subsequent quantitative measurements, providing exposure information that can be used for risk assessment.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Modification of aflatoxin B1 binding to DNA in vivo in rats fed phenolic antioxidants, ethoxyquin and a dithiothione.

The effects of dietary administration of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT), 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA), ethoxyquin (EQ) and 5-(2-pyrizinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiol-3-thione (oltipraz) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) - DNA adduct formation in vivo in livers and kidneys of rats were investigated. Male F344 rats were treated with 1 mg/kg AFB1 by i.p. administration and nucleic acids isolated 2 h post dosing. Animals were fed a semipurified diet supplemented with either 0.5% EQ, 0.45% BHT, 0.45% BHA or 0.1% oltipraz for 2 weeks prior to AFB1 treatment. Analysis of nucleic acid bases by h.p.l.c. showed that several AFB1 metabolite-DNA adducts were formed in both tissues. The principal and related adducts of 8,9-dihydro-8-(N7-guanyl)-9-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 represented approximately 80-90% of all adducts in both tissues and in all treatment groups. However, inclusion of the antioxidants in the diet resulted in substantial reductions in overall AFB1 modified DNA levels. EQ, BHT, BHA and oltipraz reduced the covalent binding of AFB1 to liver DNA by 91, 85, 65 and 76% and to kidney DNA by 80, 35, 62 and 64%, respectively. Concordantly, the specific activities of hepatic enzymes of presumed importance to AFB1 detoxification, epoxide hydrase, and glucuronyl and glutathione transferases were significantly elevated by all antioxidants. Reduced glutathione levels were unchanged except by oltipraz, although activities of enzymes contributing to the maintenance of reduced glutathione pools, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, were elevated in most treatment groups. An excellent correlation (r = 0.95) was observed between the degree of inhibition of DNA binding by AFB1 and the induction of hepatic glutathione S-transferase activities by the four antioxidants.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Substrate specificity of human liver cytochrome P-450 debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase probed using immunochemical inhibition and chemical modeling.

A significant population of humans (5 to 10%) are phenotypic poor metabolizers of debrisoquine. We have isolated the cytochrome P-450 isozyme from rat liver responsible for this activity and have shown that antibodies raised against the protein are able to inhibit this catalytic activity in human liver microsomes (Distlerath, L. M., and Guengerich, F. P., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81: 7348-7352, 1984). These antibodies were utilized to determine which metabolic transformations are linked to debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation in human liver microsomes using techniques of immunochemical inhibition. The antibodies almost completely inhibited debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation and bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation in microsomes prepared from several different human livers. The oxidation of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids lasiocarpine and monocrotaline were inhibited by roughly one-third. The antibodies did not inhibit N,N-dimethylnitrosamine N-demethylation, oxidation of vinylidene chloride to 2,2-chloroacetaldehyde, oxidation of trichloroethylene to chloral, N-oxidation of azoprocarbazine, morphine N-demethylation, diazepam N-demethylation, oxidation of benzo(a)pyrene to alkali-soluble metabolites, oxidation of benzo(a)pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol to products covalently bound to DNA, the N- and ring-oxidation of 1- and 2-naphthylamine and 2-aminofluorene, or the conversion of aflatoxin B1 to DNA adducts or aflatoxin Q1. Studies with space-filling models of the drugs the metabolism of which is associated with debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase in the literature indicated that all can be fitted to a general structure in which a basic nitrogen is about 5 A away from the site of carbon hydroxylation and a hydrophobic domain is near the site of hydroxylation. These results may be useful in predicting which chemicals may or may not be metabolized in an atypical manner by a segment of the human population.

Aflatoxin B1↗

High-affinity monoclonal antibodies for aflatoxins and their application to solid-phase immunoassays.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin M1, and the major aflatoxin-DNA adducts were obtained following fusion of mouse SP-2 myeloma cells with spleen cells of mice immunized with aflatoxin B1 covalently bound to bovine gamma globulin. The aflatoxin-modified protein used to immunize mice was produced chemically by activating aflatoxin B1 to a 2,3-epoxide derivative, which then covalently bound to the protein. One of the monoclonal antibodies isolated (2B11) was found to be a high-affinity IgM antibody with an affinity constant for aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, and aflatoxin M1 of about 1 X 10(9) liters per mol. In a competitive radioimmunoassay using [3H]aflatoxin B1, 3 pmol (1 ng) of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, or aflatoxin M1 caused 50% inhibition with this antibody. The antibody also had significant cross-reactivity for the major aflatoxin-DNA adducts: 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 and 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5', 6'-triamino-4'oxo-N5-pyrimidyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1. The antibody was also covalently bound to Sepharose-4B and used in a column-based solid-phase immunosorbent assay system. Aflatoxins added in vitro to phosphate buffer, human urine, human serum, or human milk at levels expected to be obtained in human samples acquired from environmentally exposed individuals were quantitatively recovered by applying the mixture to this antibody affinity column purification system. Preliminary studies using urine samples from rats injected with radiolabeled aflatoxin B1 have also indicated that aflatoxin metabolites can be isolated by these methods. Furthermore, we have found that the monoclonal antibody affinity columns can be regenerated for multiple use. Therefore, the monoclonal antibodies and their application to affinity chromatography represents a useful and rapid technique to purify environmentally occurring levels of this carcinogen and some of its metabolites for quantitative measurements.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Quantitation of aflatoxin B1-modified DNA using monoclonal antibodies.

Five monoclonal antibodies were obtained after fusion of mouse P3 x 63 myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice that had been immunized with aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA complexes with methylated bovine serum albumin. Selected hybridomas were found to produce monoclonal antibodies specific for modified DNA containing both the 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 and the putative 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'-oxo-N5-pyrimidyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1, suggesting that these DNA adducts share a common antigenic determinant. Enzyme immunoassay conditions using these monoclonal antibodies were optimized, and DNA isolated from the livers of rats given dosages of aflatoxin B1 ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 mg aflatoxin B1 per kg body weight was tested. A level of modification in DNA of 1 aflatoxin B1 residue per 1,355,000 nucleotides can be quantitatively measured. Monoclonal antibodies will be useful probes for studying the molecular interactions of aflatoxin B1 with DNA and the occurrence of aflatoxin B1:DNA adducts in tissues and cells of humans exposed to this environmental carcinogen.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Monoclonal antibody to aflatoxin B1-modified DNA detected by enzyme immunoassay.

Monoclonal antibodies were obtained after fusion of mouse P3 X 63 myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice that had been immunized with aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA complexed with methylated bovine serum albumin. Selected hybridomas were found to produce monoclonal antibodies specific for aflatoxin B1-modified DNA containing both the 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 and the putative 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'oxo-N5-pyrimidyl) -3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1, suggesting that these DNA adducts share a common antigenic determinant. The monoclonal antibody was not reactive towards the free aflatoxin B1-guanine adducts in solution, seven other aflatoxin derivatives, or benzo[a]pyrene-adducted DNA. A noncompetitive ultrasensitive enzyme radioimmunoassay could measure 15 fmol of aflatoxin B1-DNA adducts in 10 ng of DNA and was at least 100-fold more sensitive than the standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with these monoclonal antibodies reliably quantitated aflatoxin B1 adducted in vivo to rat liver DNA at adduct levels of one aflatoxin B1 residue per 250,000 nucleotides. The competitive ultrasensitive enzyme radioimmunoassay was determined to be at least 6-fold more sensitive than the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in analysis of aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA. Therefore, enzyme immunoassay using monoclonal antibodies will be useful analytical tools for studying both the molecular interactions of aflatoxin B1 with DNA and the occurrence of aflatoxin B1-DNA adducts in biological specimens from people exposed to this environmental carcinogen.

Aflatoxin B1↗

In vitro reactions of aflatoxin B1-adducted DNA.

The chemical stability of aflatoxin B1 bound to calf thymus DNA was studied over a 48-hour exposure to phosphate buffers at pH 6.8-8.0 (37 degrees C). During this time, aliquots of the aflatoxin B1-modified DNA were acid-hydrolyzed and analyzed for the presence of 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyflatoxin B1, 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxy-aflatoxin B1, and the tentatively identified, 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'-oxo-N5-pyrimidyl-3-hydroxyflatoxin B1 and 2,3-dihydro-2-(8,9-dihydro-8-hydroxy-N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1. Initial experiments determined the stability of 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 in DNA at levels of modification of one residue per 60 and 1500 nucleotides. The acid-hydrolysis products obtained from these modified nucleic acids were qualitatively similar, but their proportional concentrations were different. These quantitative differences were dependent upon both pH and the initial level of modification of the DNA. During the first 6 hr of incubation, under all conditions examined, the formation of 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxyaflatoxin B1 was responsible for the initial decrease of the 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 adduct in DNA. After 48 hr of incubation at pH 7.0, the major reaction of the modified DNA was depurination of the 2,3-dihydro-2-(N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1 adduct. However, at pH 8.0, the predominant reaction product formed in 48 hr was the putative 2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'-oxo-N5-pyrimidyl)-3-hydroxy-aflatoxin B1. The putative DNA-bound products resulting from the elimination of the positive charge in the imidazole ring of the aflatoxin-N7-guanine adduct [2,3-dihydro-2-(N5-formyl-2',5',6'-triamino-4'-oxo-N5-pyrimidyl)-3-hydroxy-aflatoxin B1 and 2,3-dihydro-2-(8,9-dihydro-8-hydroxy-N7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1] were found to be stable in DNA for at least 24 hr at both pH 6.8 and 7.4. Taken together with observed patterns of stability of aflatoxin B1 adducts in vivo, these observations strongly suggest the involvement of enzymatic repair processes in removal of the N7-guanyl adduct and also emphasize the possible biological significance of the stable imidazole ring-opened adduct.

Aflatoxin B1↗