ABSTRACT
Naphthalene (NP) has been designated a "reasonably anticipated human carcinogen" because of positive responses in carcinogenicity bioassays in rodents. Whereas CYP2F enzymes are widely regarded as responsible for NP bioactivation, other metabolic enzymes--including CYP1A1 and CYP1A2--produce NP-1,2-oxide in vitro. We investigated the role of these aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-mediated enzymes in NP toxicity in two ways. First, NP was assessed for the ability to activate transcription via the AHR in an in vitro luciferase reporter assay and was found to have no activity. Second, mice deficient in AHR, CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 were dosed with NP alone, or following pretreatment with the CYP2F inhibitor 5-phenyl-1-pentyne. None of the knockout mice were protected from olfactory toxicity of NP. In contrast, CYP1A1- and CYP1A2-null mice pretreated with 5-phenyl-1-pentyne exhibited no NP olfactory toxicity. These results suggest that AHR-mediated enzymes do not contribute significantly to NP bioactivation in the intact animal.
Subject(s)
Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/metabolism , Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2/metabolism , Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism , Naphthalenes/toxicity , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/metabolism , Alkynes/pharmacology , Animals , Benzene Derivatives/pharmacology , Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/drug effects , Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2/drug effects , Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Humans , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Naphthalenes/metabolism , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/drug effects , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Turbinates/drug effects , Turbinates/pathologyABSTRACT
Exposure of cultured glomeruli to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a carcinogenic hydrocarbon, modulates mesangial and visceral epithelial cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. The present studies were conducted to characterize mitogenic signaling profiles of cultured glomeruli following repeated cycles of BaP challenge. Enhanced rates of DNA synthesis were observed by the third passage in randomly cycling cultures after single or repeated carcinogen exposure. This response was characterized by upregulation of mitogenic sensitivity during early cell cycle transit, and increased cell numbers under restrictive growth conditions. The mitogenic response to platelet-derived growth factor (0.5 to 25 ng/mL), acidic fibroblast growth factor (2.5 to 10 ng/mL), basic fibroblast growth factor (0.05 to 5 ng/mL), epidermal growth factor (0.5 to 5 ng/mL), or conditioned medium was not enhanced by hydrocarbon challenge. BaP-treated cultures exhibited anchorage-independent growth and increased expression of hepatocyte growth factor mRNA and E-cadherin protein. Binding of activator protein-1 to DNA was enhanced in BaP-treated cells, but this change did not involve truncation or mutation of the c-jun delta region. Collectively, the data demonstrate that repeated cycles of BaP injury alter mitogenic signaling profiles in cultured glomerular cells. These alterations may contribute to deregulation of proliferative control following carcinogen exposure in vivo.
