Spinal cord injury as a result of Staphylococcus aureus pyogenic spinal infection complicating infected atopic eczema: two case reports.

INTRODUCTION: Pyogenic spinal infections (PSI) are a rare cause of spinal cord injury (SCI). These most often affect the lumbar spine, followed by the thoracic spine and least commonly the cervical spine, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common causative organism. Atopic eczema is a dermatological condition which can lead to a breakdown of the skin's natural barrier function, allowing bacterial colonisation and infection. Haematological seeding of bacteria from a distant source of infection, including the skin and soft tissues, is a recognised aetiology of PSI. CASE PRESENTATION: We present two patients who sustained a SCI as a result of PSI secondary to infected atopic eczema. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was identified as the causative organism in both patients. The two patients required prolonged courses of intravenous followed by oral antibiotics. Neurological outcomes varied between the two patients. One patient had incomplete tetraplegia (C3 AIS C), and upon discharge required hoisting from their bed to a power chair, had an indwelling urethral catheter and required bowel care. The other patient had incomplete paraplegia (L3 AIS D), and at discharge was independent with activities of daily living and was mobile with two elbow crutches. DISCUSSION: We believe that the two cases presented here represent the only examples of secondarily infected atopic eczema causing PSI and resultant SCI in the published literature. As SCI is a serious and potentially life-altering complication, medical professionals treating patients with atopic eczema should be aware of this risk.

The Scottish Brain Health Service Model: Rationale and Scientific Basis for a National Care Pathway of Brain Health Services in Scotland.

In order to address the oft-cited societal, economic, and health and social care impacts of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, we must move decisively from reactive to proactive clinical practice and to embed evidence-based brain health education throughout society. Most disease processes can be at least partially prevented, slowed, or reversed. We have long neglected to intervene in neurodegenerative disease processes, largely due to a misconception that their predominant symptom - cognitive decline - is a normal, age-related process, but also due to a lack of multi-disciplinary collaboration. We now understand that there are modifiable risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases, that successful management of common comorbidities (such as diabetes and hypertension) can reduce the incidence of neurodegenerative disease, and that disease processes begin (and, crucially, can be detected, reduced, and delayed, prevented, or treated) decades earlier in life than had previously been appreciated. Brain Health Scotland, established by Scottish Government and working in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, propose far-reaching public health and clinical practice approaches to reduce neurodegenerative disease incidence. Focusing here on Brain Health Scotland's clinical offerings, we present the Scottish Model for Brain Health Services. To our knowledge, the Scottish Model for Brain Health, built on foundations of personalised risk profiling, targeted risk reduction and prevention, early disease detection, equity of access, and harnessing comprehensive data to assist in clinical decision-making, marks the first example of a nationwide approach to overhauling clinical, societal, and political approaches to the prevention, assessment, and treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

Combining a targeted radiotherapy and gene therapy approach for adenocarcinoma of prostate.

A targeted radiotherapy/gene therapy approach for prostate cancer, using the radiopharmaceutical [(131)I]meta-iodobenzylguanidine ([(131)I]MIBG), would restrict the effects of radiotherapy to malignant cells, thereby increasing efficacy and decreasing morbidity of radiotherapy. Prostate cancer cells were transfected with a transgene encoding the noradrenaline transporter (NAT) under the control of tumour-specific telomerase promoters, enabling them to actively take up [(131)I]MIBG. This led to tumour-specific cell kill. This strategy has the advantage of generating a radiological bystander effect, leading to the destruction of neighbouring tumour cells that have escaped transfection. This targeted approach could be a promising tumour-specific treatment option for prostate cancer.

Hprt lymphocyte mutant frequency in relation to DNA adduct formation in rats fed the hepatocarcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene.

The lymphocyte hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) assay is frequently used as a biomarker for the exposure of both humans and laboratory animals to potentially carcinogenic agents. To obtain information concerning the sensitivity of the rat Hprt lymphocyte assay toward aromatic amine carcinogens, male F344 rats were fed 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for 1 month and then returned to control diet for 2 months. At 4, 27, 48, 62, and 90 days after the initiation of 2-AAF-feeding, the frequency of mutants in the Hprt gene was determined. In addition, DNA was isolated from liver nuclei, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus, and DNA adducts were analyzed by 32P-postlabeling. 2-AAF feeding resulted in a significant induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant T-lymphocytes and the mutant frequency continued to increase after the 2-AAF feeding was stopped. The same major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene, was detected in liver, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus. DNA adduct levels were greatest in the tumor target tissue (liver) but occurred in all T-lymphocyte compartments, being highest in spleen lymphocytes. The DNA adduct levels were highest at the end of the 1-month 2-AAF feeding period and decreased rapidly in all tissues. The data indicate that the Hprt lymphocyte mutagenesis assay detects arylamine carcinogens, but with relatively low sensitivity.

Metabolism of chloral hydrate in mice and rats after single and multiple doses.

Chloral hydrate is a hepatocarcinogen in mice but not rats. To examine this species-related difference, male and female B6C3F1 mice and Fischer (F344) rats were treated by gavage with 1 or 12 doses of chloral hydrate, and concentrations of the drug and its metabolites were determined in plasma at 0.25, 7, 3, 6, and 24 h and 2, 4, 8, and 16 d after the last treatment. Maximum levels of chloral hydrate were observed at the initial sampling time of 0.25 h. By 1 h, levels dropped substantially, and by 3 h, chloral hydrate could not be detected. Trichloroacetic acid was the major metabolite found in the plasma, with peak levels being observed 1-6 h after dosing. The concentrations then slowly decreased such that by 2 d this metabolite could no longer be detected. Trichloroethanol was assayed as both the free alcohol and its glucuronide. Maximum levels of trichoroethanol occurred at 0.25 h, and by 1-3 h approached the limits of detection. A pharmacokinetic model was constructed to describe the metabolic data. The plasma half-life values of chloral hydrate were similar in both species. In mice, the rate of elimination of trichloroacetic acid was significantly increased after multiple doses; this difference was not observed with rats. The half-life of trichloroethanol and its glucuronide was significantly greater in rats as compared to mice. None of the metabolic parameters appears to account for the hepatocarcinogenicity of chloral hydrate seen in mice but not rats.

Analysis of mutations in the K-ras and p53 genes of lung tumors and in the hprt gene of 6-thioguanine-resistant T-lymphocytes from rats treated with 1,6-dinitropyrene.

Direct pulmonary instillation of 1,6-dinitropyrene (DNP) into male Fischer 344 rats results in a dose-dependent induction of lung tumors and 6-thioguanine-resistant (TGr) T-lymphocytes. The treatment also results in DNP binding to dG in the lung and in T-lymphocytes. In the present study, we have examined the types of mutations associated with these responses to DNP. Sequencing of DNA amplification products from 20 DNP-induced lung tumors identified 5 mutations in K-ras codon 12, 4 GGT-->TGT transversions and one GGT-->GAT transition. No mutations were found in K-ras codons 13 or 61. Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of p53 exons 5-8 revealed mobility shifts indicative of mutation in 9 of the 20 tumor samples. Eight of the mutations were substitutions at G:C base pairs, and one was a deletion of a single G:C base pair. DNA from 161 TGr lymphocyte colonies cultured from DNP-treated rats was examined for point mutations by amplification of hprt exons 2, 3, and 8, and screening the products for mutant: wild-type heteroduplex formation by denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis. Only three mutations were found, a G-->T transversion in exon 3, a G-->A transition in exon 8, and a complex mutation consisting of a tandem G-->T transversion and a one base deletion in exon 3. The mutations identified in the DNP-induced lung tumors and TGr T-lymphocytes are consistent with the formation of dG-DNA adducts by DNP. The extremely low recovery of point mutations from TGr lymphocytes suggests that DNP induces a substantial number of mutations by other mechanisms.

Effect of ovariectomy on the in vitro and in vivo activation of carcinogenic N-2-fluorenylhydroxamic acids by rat mammary gland and liver.

N-Hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide (N-OH-2-FAA) and its benzamide analogue N-OH-2-FBA are mammary gland carcinogens in the female Sprague-Dawley rat. Ovariectomy inhibits tumorigenicity of topically applied N-OH-2-FAA suggesting modulation of carcinogen-activating enzymes in the gland. This study concerned the activation of N-OH-2-FAA and N-OH-2-FBA by the mammary gland and liver, a chief site of metabolism, from 50-day-old female rats and effects on the activation of ovariectomy performed at 22 days of age. The levels of N-debenzolyation of N-OH-2-FBA to N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenamine (N-OH-2-FA), catalyzed by microsomal carboxylesterases in mammary gland and liver were similar and increased 1.5- and 1.7-fold, respectively, by ovariectomy. N-Debenzoylating activity in cytosols of both tissues appeared to be partially of microsomal origin. Mammary gland cytosol contained N-, O- and N,O-acyltransferase activities at levels 40-50% those of liver. N-Acyltransferase activity was determined via acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA)-dependent acetylation of 2-FA and a new assay, N-OH-2-FAA-dependent acetylation of 9-oxo-2-FA. The latter activity was decreased in mammary gland by ovariectomy. Microsomal N-acyltransferase activities were <36% those of cytosols. AcCoA-dependent binding of N-OH-2-[ring-[3H]FBA to DNA, catalyzed by cytosol, was consistent with a two-step activation of N-OH-2-FBA involving esterase-catalyzed N-debenzoylation to N-OH-2-FA and its O-acyltransferase-catalyzed acetylation to the electrophilic N-acetoxy-2-FA. O-Acetyltransfer by mammary gland appeared to be rate-limiting since ovariectomy-dependent increases in N-debenzoylation did not increase binding with S9 fraction. Little or no sulfotransferase-catalyzed binding of N-OH-2-[ring-3H]FBA-derived N-OH-2-[ring-3H]FA was detected in the liver or mammary gland cytosol, respectively. The level of binding of N-OH-2-[ring-3H]FAA to DNA catalyzed by cytosolic N,O-acyltransferase was decreased approximately 23% in mammary gland and increased 1.2-fold in liver by ovariectomy. 32P-Postlabeling analyses indicated a single adduct N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-fluorenamine in DNA of both tissues 24 h after one intraperitoneal injection of N-OH-2-FBA or N-OH-2-FAA. Respective levels were 3.6- and 5.5-fold greater in liver than mammary gland. After ovariectomy, the adduct levels from N-OH-2-FBA increased 1.8-fold in mammary gland and from N-OH-2-FAA decreased approximately 50% in both tissues. Thus, the ovariectomy-dependent changes in levels of enzymes activating N-OH-2-FBA and N-OH-2-FAA were consistent with in vivo DNA adduct levels in the target mammary gland, but not in the liver.

DNA adduct formation and tumorigenesis in mice during the chronic administration of 4-aminobiphenyl at multiple dose levels.

Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of DNA adducts from 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) in the bladder cells of humans; however, the correlation between the concentration of these adducts and the tumorigenic response is not clear. To help elucidate this relationship, we have investigated DNA adduct formation in experimental animals continuously administered 4-ABP. Male and female BALB/c mice were treated for 28 days with 4-ABP. hydrochloride in their drinking water. DNA adducts in target tissues (liver of females and bladder of males) were identified and quantified by 32P-postlabeling analyses and radioimmunoassays. These results were compared to previously reported tumor incidences obtained from the lifetime administration of 4-ABP hydrochloride. The major adduct observed in both tissues was N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-ABP. In the bladders of both sexes and the livers of female mice, adduct levels increased with dose at low doses, but saturation was observed at high doses. In the livers of males, the adduct levels were linearly correlated with dose throughout the entire dose range. A comparison between DNA adducts and tumorigenesis indicated a linear correlation between adduct levels and the incidence of liver tumors in female mice. In the bladders of male mice, however, the relationship was markedly nonlinear. These data suggest that adduct formation alone is insufficient for tumorigenesis in the bladder and that other factors such as cell proliferation are necessary for tumor production.

DNA adduct formation and T-lymphocyte mutation induction in F344 rats implanted with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene.

Diesel emissions are known to induce tumors in experimental animals and are suspected of being carcinogenic in humans. Of the compounds associated with diesel exhaust, 1,6-dinitropyrene is a particularly potent mutagen and carcinogen. In these experiments, we have investigated the use of DNA adducts and T-lymphocyte mutations of 1,6-dinitropyrene as biomarkers for exposure to diesel emissions. 1,6-Dinitropyrene (0-150 micrograms) was applied directly to the lungs of male F344 rats according to a protocol known to induce lung tumors. In target (lung) and surrogate (liver, WBC, and spleen lymphocytes) tissues, one major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-amino-6-nitropyrene, was detected by HPLC and/or 32P-postlabeling analyses. The levels of this adduct reached a maximum 1-7 days following treatment and decreased to 13-50% of the peak values by 28 days after dosing. In the lung, a 2-fold increase in dose resulted in a 2-fold increase in DNA binding up to the 30-micrograms dose; in the liver the same relationship was observed up to 10 micrograms 1,6-dinitropyrene. At higher doses, the extent of adduct formation still increased, but the rate was much lower than that occurring at lower doses. A limiting dilution clonal assay was used to measure mutation induction at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltranferase locus in spleen T lymphocytes. Following treatment, the mutant frequency increased until 21 weeks, remained constant until week 40, and then began to decrease. Mutant induction was dose related, with the increase in mutant frequency being significant at doses > or = 1 microgram 1,6-dinitropyrene. These data indicate that 1,6-dinitropyrene, a constituent of diesel emissions, is metabolically activated by nitroreduction to give DNA adducts in target and surrogate tissues. They further suggest that T-lymphocyte mutations may be a more sensitive and longer-lived biomarker than DNA adducts for assessing previous exposures to nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Detection of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-fluorenamine in DNA of peritoneal serosa and liver after intraperitoneal exposure of rats to N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylbenzamide or N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide.

DNA adduct formation was examined in rat peritoneal serosa, a tumor target for i.p. administered aqueous suspensions of N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylbenzamide (N-OH-2-FBA) and N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide (N-OH-2-FAA), and compared to that in the liver, which is a tumor target for N-OH-2-FAA in the male rat. 32P-Postlabeling analyses showed the presence of a single adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-fluorenamine (dG-C8-FA), from activation of both hydroxamic acids by the serosa and liver in vitro and in vivo. The relatively low levels of dG-C8-FA (60-80 fmol/micrograms DNA) from N-OH-2-FBA in vitro were increased 2.7- and 35-fold upon the addition of acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA) to the serosal cytosol and hepatic cytosol or microsomes respectively. By contrast, addition of AcCoA led to a decrease (approximately 34%) in the high level of dG-C8-FA (4330 fmol/micrograms DNA) from activation of N-OH-2-FAA by hepatic cytosol and did not alter the levels from activation by hepatic microsomes and serosal cytosols (530 and 78.3 fmol/micrograms DNA respectively). These data and the previously reported hydroxamic acid activation enzyme activities in the serosa and liver indicated that the precursor of dG-C8-FA, N-acetoxy-N-2-fluorenamine, was formed from N-OH-2-FAA chiefly via an intramolecular N,O-acetyltransfer and from N-OH-2-FBA via a two-step sequence of N-debenzoylation and AcCoA-dependent O-acetylation. The levels of dG-C8-FA were approximately 2- to 3-fold higher in the serosal DNA (up to 515 and 1012 fmol/micrograms DNA) after one (30 mumol/rat) and ten or eleven (cumulative dose of approximately 275 mumol/rat) injections of N-OH-2-FBA or N-OH-2-FAA than in the hepatic DNA. This correlated with the carcinogenicities of the hydroxamic acids, but was inversely proportional to the rates and extents of their activation in vitro. Multiple injections affected hepatic enzyme activities related to the activation of the hydroxamic acids in that the cytosolic N-debenzoylation of N-OH-2-FBA increased (approximately 1.7-fold) whereas N-OH-2-FAA acetyltransferase and sulfotransferase activities decreased. The effect of treatment with N-OH-2-FBA was greater than that with N-OH-2-FAA and was greater on the sulfotransferase activity (approximately 88% decrease). The latter suggested that N-OH-2-FBA, although a poor acceptor for an enzymatic sulfate transfer, may be carcinogenic for the rat liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Vaginal epithelial DNA damage and expression of preneoplastic markers in mice during chronic dosing with tumorigenic levels of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine.

3'-Azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT, Retrovir, zidovudine), a nucleoside analogue currently used in the therapy of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, induces papillomas and carcinomas in vaginal epithelium of mice as a result of lifetime drug administration. In this study, female CD-1 mice were administered AZT at doses of 180, 360, and 720 micrograms/ml of drinking water for 28 days to determine whether AZT became incorporated into vaginal DNA and whether this was associated with preneoplastic changes within the target tissue. In addition, bone marrow, a target for AZT-induced cytotoxicity in mice and humans, was examined for chromosomal aberrations. A positive correlation was observed between dose level of AZT, proliferation of cells in the basal layer of vaginal epithelium, and incorporation of AZT into vaginal DNA. Incorporation of AZT into vaginal DNA was originally detected by radioimmunoassay and confirmed by immunohistochemistry. An aberrant pattern for alpha 6 integrin distribution, similar to the pattern described in skin papillomas with high risk for malignant conversion, also increased with dose in mice given AZT. Chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow increased more than 4-fold in AZT-exposed animals. The genotoxicity demonstrated by incorporation of AZT into vaginal DNA and proliferation of vaginal epithelium may play an essential part in the ability of AZT to induce abnormal differentiation in vaginal epithelium and vaginal tumorigenesis in mice.

Immunohistochemical and microfluorometric determination of hepatic DNA adduct removal in rats fed 2-acetylaminofluorene.

Biphasic removal of DNA adducts has previously been demonstrated by radioimmunoassay in whole liver DNA from rats chronically fed 2-acetylaminofluorene for 28 days. In the present study, removal of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene was observed in situ by microfluorometry. Frozen liver sections from animals fed 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene for 28 days, followed by a control diet for 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, were examined immunohistochemically for localization of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene with fluorescein-conjugated secondary antiserum. In addition, bile ducts and oval cells were stained with antibodies to keratins using Texas red-labeled indirect immunofluorescence. Hoechst dye was used to identify DNA in nuclei. During the 28 days on the control diet, after 28 days of feeding 2-acetylaminofluorene, the DNA adduct concentrations of parenchymal liver cells were reduced by 85%, as compared to animals fed only the carcinogen for 28 days. Periportal hepatocytes exhibited biphasic (fast and slow) adduct removal. Only fast adduct removal was demonstrated in midzonal and centrilobular hepatocytes, since the adduct levels were below the detectable range in these regions after 7 days on the control diet. After 28 days on the control diet, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene was detected in approximately 50% of periportal hepatocytes. These results are compatible with the previously observed biphasic removal profile determined by radioimmunoassay of whole liver DNA adducts and indicate that periportal hepatocytes remove adducts from two distinct genomic compartments.

Formation of DNA adducts and induction of mutations in rats treated with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene.

1,6-Dinitropyrene, a component of diesel exhaust, is a lung carcinogen in male F344 rats following a single intrapulmonary administration. In this study, rats were treated with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene to establish dose-response relationships for the formation of DNA adducts in target (lung) and nontarget (liver) tissues and for the induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant mutations in spleen T-lymphocytes. One week after treatment with 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30, 100, or 150 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, dose-responsive DNA binding was measured in lung and liver with binding in the lung being 10-fold higher than in the liver. In the lung, a 2-fold increase in dose resulted in a 1.8-fold increase in DNA binding at treatments up to 30 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, while in the liver, a 2-fold increase in 1,6-dinitropyrene produced a 2-fold increase in DNA binding at doses up to the 10 micrograms treatment. Higher doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene resulted in proportionally smaller increases in adduct formation in the two tissues. When measured 21 weeks after treatment, mutations in T-lymphocytes increased with doses up to 100 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, but the response was nonlinear throughout the dose range. These findings indicate that concentrations of 1,6-dinitropyrene that produce a dose-dependent induction of lung tumors also result in a dose-dependent formation of DNA adducts and induction of lymphocyte mutations but that the dose-response curves for DNA binding and mutations are different.

DNA adduct formation in relation to lymphocyte mutations and lung tumor induction in F344 rats treated with the environmental pollutant 1,6-dinitropyrene.

Epidemiological studies suggest an association between exposure to diesel emissions and an increased incidence of lung and bladder cancer in humans. Of the compounds associated with diesel emissions, 1,6-dinitropyrene is a particularly potent mutagen and carcinogen. In these experiments we administered [4,5,9,10-3H]1,6-dinitropyrene (30 or 100 micrograms) directly to the lungs of F344 rats according to a protocol known to induce lung tumors and characterized the DNA adducts present in the target tissue. In addition, we examined the adducts present in spleen lymphocytes and assayed for the induction of mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus in these cells, as measured by the frequency of 6-thioguanine-resistant (TGr) T-lymphocytes. Adduct formation was detected in both lung and spleen lymphocyte DNA, with the extent of binding being dose-dependent in the lymphocytes but not the lung. 32P-Postlabeling analyses indicated the formation of a major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-amino-6- nitropyrene, in both tissues. 1,6-Dinitropyrene treatment resulted in a dose-dependent increase in TGr T-lymphocytes, with the increase being detected for at least 21 weeks after treatment. These data indicate that 1,6-dinitropyrene is metabolically activated by nitroreduction to form DNA adducts in both the target tissue and spleen lymphocytes and that a tumorigenic dose results in a significant induction of TGr T-lymphocytes.

Comparison between DNA adduct formation and tumorigenesis in livers and bladders of mice chronically fed 2-acetylaminofluorene.

Female BALB/c mice continuously fed 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) develop liver and bladder tumors. The incidence of liver tumors is linearly related to the carcinogen concentration in the diet, while the tumor response in the bladder is markedly non-linear. In the current experiments, liver and bladder DNA adducts were measured in female BALB/c mice fed several different concentrations of AAF for 28 days. The adduct concentrations were then compared to the previously reported incidences of neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions in these tissues. In initial experiments, mice were fed either 30 or 150 mg [ring-3H]AAF/kg diet for 21 days. Liver DNA adducts were identified by HPLC, which indicated the presence of one major adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF). This adduct was also the major product detected by 32P-postlabeling in liver and bladder DNA from mice fed the same concentrations of AAF for 28 days. Radioimmunoassays, conducted with an antibody specific for dG-C8-AF, showed that steady-state concentrations of dG-C8-AF were obtained at 28 days of AAF feeding; thus, this time point was used to determine the relationship between the dose of AAF and the adduct levels. In mice fed nine concentrations of AAF (5-150 mg AAF/kg diet), the adduct concentrations after 28 days of feeding were linearly related to dose in both the liver and bladder, with the adduct concentration being approximately 3-fold greater in the bladder. These results indicate that a linear correlation exists between the hepatic concentration of dG-C8-AF and the liver tumor incidence. In the bladder however, a linear relationship was not observed, which suggests that additional tissue-specific factors, such as toxicity, are essential components for tumorigenesis in this tissue.

DNA adduct formation and removal in hepatic chromatin fractions from rats chronically fed 2-acetylaminofluorene.

Continuous dietary administration of the hepatocarcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) to rats produces a gradual increase in hepatic DNA adducts until a plateau is reached after approximately 2 weeks. The rate of DNA adduct formation remains constant through 1 month of AAF feeding, while adduct removal profiles are biphasic during both carcinogen feeding and subsequent time on control diet. In the present experiments, we tested the hypothesis that biphasic adduct removal is due to differential repair kinetics taking place in different chromatin fractions. Rats were fed 0.02% AAF for times up to 30 days and control diet for a subsequent 28 days. HPLC analysis of nuclear DNA indicated that the deacetylated adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene, comprised approximately 90% of the total C8-substituted deoxyguanosine adducts after 3 days of feeding and greater than 98% after 20 days. The nuclear DNA was partitioned into endogenous nuclease sensitive (approximately 2%), low salt soluble (approximately 70%), high salt soluble (approximately 20%) and nuclear matrix (approximately 8%) fractions. During 28 days of AAF feeding, each fraction showed a profile of adduct formation similar to that observed in whole nuclei; however, the adduct concentration in nuclear matrix-associated DNA was consistently less than that in the other fractions. In rats fed AAF for 28 days followed by control diet, adduct removal in each of the fractions showed biphasic kinetics that were similar to those observed in nuclear DNA. When rats were fed AAF for 7 days, however, adduct removal kinetics could be best described by a single first-order rate constant. These data indicate that biphasic adduct removal may be due to the presence of particular nucleotide sequences that are common to all fractions and are relatively resistant to adduct formation and removal. The low concentration of adducts found in the nuclear matrix may be due to a decreased rate of adduct formation in this region and/or the proximity of membrane-bound beta-polymerases that are responsible for repair.

Formation and removal of DNA adducts in target and nontarget tissues of rats administered multiple doses of 2-acetylaminophenanthrene.

2-Acetylaminophenanthrene (2-AAP) is carcinogenic for the mammary gland, small intestine and ear duct in rats, but is not hepatocarcinogenic. In order to understand the tissue specificity of tumor induction, the formation and removal of DNA adducts in target and nontarget tissues have been compared in rats administered 2-AAP. Male and female Sprague--Dawley rats were treated i.p. with up to four weekly doses of 5 mg 2-AAP per kg body weight. 32P-Post-labeling analysis of the DNA from all tissues showed two predominant adducts (greater than 85-95% of the total binding) and at least four minor adducts. By comparing the results obtained from reacting N-hydroxy-2-aminophenanthrene with DNA at pH 5, the major adducts were identified as N-(deoxyadenosine-8-yl)-2-aminophenanthrene and 1-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-2-aminophenanthrene. Two minor adducts, N-(deoxyadenosine-8-yl)-2-aminophenanthrene and 1-(deoxyadenosin-N6-yl)-2-aminophenanthrene, were also formed in the in vitro reactions. The distribution of adducts, extent of binding and adduct persistence were similar between target and nontarget tissues, which indicates that the tissue specificity of 2-AAP for tumor induction is due to factors in addition to adduct formation.