In vitro prostaglandin H synthase- and monooxygenase-mediated binding of aflatoxin B1 to DNA in guinea-pig tissue microsomes.

In order to study the mechanism of cancer production by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in extrahepatic tissues which have relatively low cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) activity, we have examined prostaglandin H synthase (PHS)-mediated AFB1 activation [( 3H]AFB1-DNA binding). [3H]AFB1 was activated by both purified PHS and microsomal PHS from guinea-pig kidney and liver, as well as by P450 in lung, kidney and liver microsomes, though P450-mediated [3H]AFB1-DNA binding in lung and liver was much higher than that catalyzed by PHS. Arachidonic acid (AA)-dependent [3H]AFB1-DNA binding could be inhibited by the PHS inhibitor indomethacin (0.1 mM), but was enhanced by the P450 inhibitor SKF-525A (3 mM), confirming that the reaction was independent of P450. Pulmonary PHS-mediated [3H]AFB1--DNA binding was less than 0.1 pmol [3H]AFB1/mg protein/min. HPLC analysis showed only minimal formation of [3H]AFM1 and [3H]AFQ1 by PHS, confirming that the low rate of PHS-dependent [3H]AFB1-DNA adduct formation was not due to conversion of AFB1 to other metabolites by PHS. The omission of AA did not diminish [3H]AFB1-DNA binding. In AA-free incubates, indomethacin inhibited, and SKF-525A enhanced, [3H]AFB1-DNA binding to a similar degree as in complete incubates, indicating that DNA binding in AA-free incubates was catalyzed by PHS. This reaction was also inhibited by 4-bromophenacyl bromide, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, by 92%. These data are consistent with previous reports indicating the ability of AFB1 to stimulate the release of endogenous AA from membranes, presumably by stimulating phospholipase A2 activity, which may lead to enhanced bioactivation of AFB1 by PHS in vivo.