Treatment of mice with 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin markedly increases the levels of a number of cytochrome P450 metabolites of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the liver and lung.

We previously reported that 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) increased the levels of several cytochrome P450 metabolites of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), arachidonic acid (ARA) and linoleic acid in the serum, liver, lung and spleen of C57BL/6 mice in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-dependent fashion. These increases correlated with increased levels of CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and/or CYP1B1. In the current study, we measured 77 oxylipins, including 59 that we had not measured previously, and demonstrate that TCDD also markedly increases the levels of many epoxide and diol metabolites of the omega-3 PUFAs, α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahexaenoic acid (DHA) in these mice. Since these epoxide metabolites have been reported to have opposite effects on angiogenesis, tumor growth and tumor metastasis compared with the equivalent metabolites of omega-6 PUFA, these observations have important implications with regard to the potential involvement of the cytochrome P450 metabolites of PUFAs in mediating the biological effects of TCDD and other agonists of AHR.