Reduction of tumorigenicity and of dihydrodiol formation by fluorine substitution in the angular rings of dibenzo(a,i)pyrene.

The tumor-initiating activities on mouse skin and in vitro metabolism of dibenzo(a,i)pyrene, 2-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene, 3-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene, and 2, 10-difluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene were compared. After an initiating dose of 500 micrograms, followed by promotion with tetradecanoylphorbol acetate, dibenzo(a,i)pyrene induced skin tumors in 85% of the mice and caused 5.8 skin tumors/mouse. The corresponding tumorigenic activities for the fluorinated compounds were: 2-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene (85%; 1.7 tumors/mouse); 3-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene (80%; 3.1 tumors/mouse); and 2,10-difluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene (10%; 0.1 tumors/mouse). After an initiating dose of 100 micrograms, only dibenzo(a,i)pyrene showed significant tumor-initiating activity. 3,4-Dihydro-3,4-dihydroxydibenzo(a,i)pyrene was identified as a metabolite of dibenzo(a,i)pyrene formed by the 9000 X g supernatant from the livers of Aroclor 1254-pretreated rats. Another dihydrodiol was tentatively identified as 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxydibenzo(a,i)pyrene. The formation of these angular ring dihdrodiols was inhibited in the metabolism of 2-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene and 3-fluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene. Angular ring dihydrodiols were not detected in the metabolism of 2,10-difluorodibenzo(a,i)pyrene. These results suggest that an angular ring dihydrodiol, 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxydibenzo(a,i)pyrene, which can form a bay-region dihydrodiol epoxide, may be a proximate carcinogen of dibenzo(a,i)pyrene.