Aromatic compounds and carcinogenesis

Simula, T.P, Glancey, M.J. Wolf, C.R. (1993) Human glutathione S -transferase-expressing Salmonella typhimurium tester strains to study the activation/detoxification of mutagenic compounds studies with halogenated compounds, aromatic amines and aflatoxin Bp Carcinogenesis, 14, 1371-1376... 

Ostman CE, Colmsjo AL, Zebuehr Y. 1986. Polycyclic aromatic compounds in lubricating oil A study of gasoline, gasoline/methanol, gas and diesel fueled engines. In Cooke M, Dennis AJ, eds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Chemistry, characterization, and carcinogenesis. Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium. Columbus, OH Battelle Press, 729-744. 

Jurs t (10) qualitatively and quantitatively examined the correlation of a variety of molecular descriptors for polycyclic aromatic and nitroamine compounds with carcinogenesis. The result of these efforts has been the evolution of predictive equations which capture the oncogenic response for these classes of compounds as a function of the molecular descriptors. 

Human exposure to complex mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) occurs through inhalation of tobacco smoke and polluted indoor or outdoor air, through ingestion of certain foods and polluted water, and by dermal contact with soots, tars, and oils CO. Methylated PAH are always components of these mixtures and in some cases, as in tobacco smoke and in emissions from certain fuel processes, their concentrations can be in the same range as some unsubstituted PAH. The estimated emission of methylated PAH from mobile sources in the U.S. in 1979 was approximately 1700 metric tons (2). The occurrence of methylated and unsubstituted PAH has been recently reviewed (1, 2). In addition to their environmental occurrence, methylated PAH are among the most important model compounds in experimental carcinogenesis. 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, one of... 

The reaction of metabolically generated polycyclic aromatic diol epoxides with DNA Ua vivo is believed to be an important and critical event in chemical carcinogenesis Cl,2). In recent years, much attention has been devoted to studies of diol epoxide-nucleic acid interactions in aqueous model systems. The most widely studied reactive intermediate is benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (BaPDE), which is the ultimate biologically active metabolite of the well known and ubiquitous environmental pollutant benzo(a)pyrene. There are four different stereoisomers of BaPDE (Figure 1) which are characterized by differences in biological activities, and reactivities with DNA (2-4). In this review, emphasis is placed on studies of reaction mechanisms of BPDE and related compounds with DNA, and the structures of the adducts formed. 

Non-nutrient compounds in the diet have been found to exert inhibitory effects in experimental carcinogenesis [259, 260, 265-269]. Monoterpenes are non-nutritive dietary components found in the EOs of aromatic plants. Several experimental and population-based studies indicate that isoprenoids in the diet play an important role in the ability to avoid cancers [263, 266, 270-276]. 

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