Characterization of DNA adducts at the bay region of dibenz[a,h]anthracene formed in vitro.

Bay region diolepoxide-DNA adducts of dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA) formed in vitro were identified and their absolute stereochemistry was assigned. After activation of [5,12-14C]DBA with liver microsomes obtained from Aroclor 1254 treated male Sprague-Dawley rats in the presence of calf thymus DNA for 1 h, the amount of DNA adducts was found to be 9.9 +/- 2.4 pmol/mg DNA, calculated on the basis of the portion of radioactivity eluted from the HPLC reversed-phase column with a water/acetonitrile gradient. Bay region diolepoxide-DNA adducts represented 27.5% of radioactivity associated with DNA adducts. The absolute configuration of the various adducts was determined from the reaction of the (+)- and (-)-3,4-dihydrodiol after metabolic activation and the reaction of the anti- and syn-3,4-dihydroxy-1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrodibenz[a,h]anthracen e with DNA or with the individual deoxyribonucleotides. The main bay region adduct was identified as a deoxyguanosine adduct of (anti)-3S,4R-dihydroxy-1R,2S-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrodibenz [a,h]anthracene, a metabolite of (-)-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrodi- benz[a,h]anthracene. Anti bay region diolepoxide-deoxyguanosine adducts of DBA contributed to 17.7% and syn diolepoxide-derived deoxyguanosine adducts to 5.8% of adduct-associated radioactivity. The amount of bay region deoxyadenosine adducts was calculated to be 4%. For six of probably eight different deoxyadenosine adducts absolute stereochemistry could be assigned. 32P-Postlabelling experiments revealed a binding of 23 +/- 6 pmol/mg DNA for (-)-3,4-dihydrodiol and of 1.5 +/- 0.4 pmol/mg DNA for (+)-3,4-dihydrodiol of DBA.