DMBA

A typical phenol plant based on the cumene hydroperoxide process can be divided into two principal areas. In the reaction area, cumene, formed by alkylation of benzene and propylene, is oxidized to form cumene hydroperoxide (CHP). The cumene hydroperoxide is concentrated and cleaved to produce phenol and acetone. By-products of the oxidation reaction are acetophenone and dimethyl benzyl alcohol (DMBA). DMBA is dehydrated in the cleavage reaction to produce alpha-methylstyrene (AMS). 

FUTAKUCHI M, HIROSE M, MIKI T, TANAKA H, OZAKI M and SHIRAI T (1998) Inhlhition of DMBA-initiated rat mammary tumour development hy l-O-hexyl-2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone, phenylethyl isothiocyanate, and novel synthetic ascorbic acid derivatives , Eur J Cancer Prev, 7 153-9. 

The configuration of the 4R,5R-dihydrodiol was established by application of the exciton chirality method (6). To minimize undesired interactions between the electric transition dipoles of the two j>-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoate chromophores and the dihydrodiol chromo-phore, a 4,5-dihydrodiol enantiomer was first reduced to 1,2,3,3a,4,5,7,8,9,10-decahydro and 4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12-octahydro derivatives (6). We found that it is not necessary to reduce the chrysene chromophore of a BaP 4,5-dihydrodiol enantiomer (Figure 2). Similarly, the absolute configurations of the K-region dihydrodiol enantiomers of BA (7), 7-bromo-BA (8), 7-fluoro-BA (9), 7-methyl-BA (10). and 7,12-dime thy 1-BA (DMBA) (7 ) can also be determined by the exciton chirality method without further reduction. 

Figure 3. Mechanism of microsomal EH-catalyzed hydration of the K-region epoxide enantiomers of BA, BaP, and DMBA. The percentages of the trans-addition product by water for each enantiomeric epoxide are indicated. The enantiomeric composition of the dihydrodiol enantiomers formed from the hydration of DMBA 5S,6R-epoxide was determined using 1 mg protein equivalent of liver microsomes from pheno-barbital-treated rats per ml of incubation mixture and this hydration reaction is highly dependent on the concentration of the microsomal EH (49). The epoxide enantiomer formed predominantly from the respective parent hydrocarbon by liver microsomes from 3-methylcho-lanthrene-treated rats is shown in the box.

DMBA trans-3.4-dihvdrodiol is a metabolite of DMBA (34) and a potent mutagen to cultured bacterial (35.36) and mammalian cells (37.38) as well as a potent tumorigen (39.40). 

As found in BA metabolism, DMBA trans-3,4-dihydrodiol is a minor metabolite (0.2-4.9% of all the metabolites) formed by rat liver microsomes and nuclei (41) and both enantiomeric 3,4-dihydrodiols are formed in DMBA metabolism by rat liver microsomes (Table II). 

The 3,4-dihydrodiol is a major component of the free dihydrodiols formed in mouse skin maintained in short-term culture (28). The optical purities of these dihydrodiols were determined by a CSP-HPLC method (43). The metabolic fates of the enantiomeric DMBA 3,4-dihydrodiols are not yet known. Studies in our laboratory indicate that the products formed in liver microsomal metabolism of DMBA 3,4-dihydrodiol bind extensively to the components of liver microsomes and the expected 1,2,3,4-tetrols of DMBA were not detected in the acetone/ethyl acetate extract of the incubation mixture (unpublished results). It is known that these products bind extensively to DNA... 

The metabolites that bind to DNA in cultured mammalian cells treated with DMBA are derived from both syn and anti forms of DMBA... 

Table II. Enantiomeric Composition of the 3,4- and 5,6-Dihydrodiols Formed in the Metabolism of BA and DMBA by Liver Microsomes from Rats of the Sprague-Dawley Strain...

BA 3,4-dihydrodiol metabolites were isolated by a reversed-phase HPLC using a Vydac C18 column (Chiu et al., unpublished results). DMBA dihydrodiol metabolites were isolated as described (42). The enantiomeric composition was determined either by CD spectral data or by CSP-HPLC (7.19.20). 

In contrast to the metabolism of BA and BaP, the 5,6-dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism of DMBA by liver microsomes from untreated, phenobarbital-treated, and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats are found to have 5R,6R/5S,6S enantiomer ratios of 11 89, 6 94, and 5 95, respectively (7.49 and Table II). The enantiomeric contents of the dihydrodiols were determined by a CSP-HPLC method (7.43). The 5,6-epoxide formed in the metabolism of DMBA by liver microsomes from 3MC-treated rats was found to contain predominantly (>97%) the 5R,6S-enantiomer which is converted by microsomal epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed hydration predominantly (>95%) at the R-center (C-5 position, see Figure 3) to yield the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol (49). In the metabolism of 12-methyl-BA, the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol was also found to be the major enantiomer formed (50) and this stereoselective reaction is similar to the reactions catalyzed by rat liver microsomes prepared with different enzyme inducers (unpublished results). Labeling studies using molecular oxygen-18 indicate that 5R,68-epoxide is the precursor of the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol formed in the metabolism of 12-methyl-BA (51). 

The presence of a methyl group at the C-12 position of BA is apparently the major contributing factor determining the formation of a 5R,6S-epoxide in the metabolism of 12-methyl-BA and DMBA. 

The 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism of BA and DMBA respectively are all highly enriched (>90%) in R,R enantiomers (Table III). Labeling experiments using molecular oxygen-18 in the in vitro metabolism of the respective parent compounds and subsequent mass spectral analyses of dihydrodiol metabolites and their acid-catalyzed dehydration products indicated that microsomal epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed hydration reactions occurred exclusively at the nonbenzylic carbons of the metabolically formed epoxide intermediates (unpublished results). These findings indicate that the 8,9- and 10,11-epoxide intermediates, formed in the metabolism of BA and DMBA respectively, contain predominantly the 8R,9S and 10S,11R enantiomer, respectively. These stereoselective epoxidation reactions are relatively insensitive to the cytochrome P-450 isozyme contents of different rat liver microsomal preparations (Table III). 

Figure 6. Metabolic activation pathways of DMBA. The absolute configurations of the metabolites are as shown.

Synthesis of the 8,9-dihydrodiol of DMBA (23) was accomplished from 10,11-dihydro-DMBA (2J) by Method I (84) The olefin 2 was itself prepared through a synthetic sequence involving Diels-Alder... 

Figure 15. Synthesis of DMBA 3,4-dihydrodiol (21) by Method IV (47,75). Reagents (i) (PhSe0)20 or (KS0 )2N0 (ii) LiAlH, or NaBH4,02 (iii) m-CPBA. 4...

In contrast to 21, the diol epoxide derivative of the 8,9-dihydrodiol of DMBA was relatively stable. Although only the anti isomer was isolated and identified from epoxidation of the 8,9-dihydrodiol with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (84), it is likely that the syn isomer may also be formed in this reaction. The 8,9-dihydrodiol exists predominantly in the diaxial conformation as a consequence of steric interaction between the 8-hydroxyl and 7-methyl groups (88). 

Methylcholanthrene (3-MC) is a potent carcinogen, intermediate in activity between DMBA and BP (27,77). It was first prepared in 1925 by Wieland from desoxycholic acid (89). Biological studies have tentatively identified the 9,10-dihydrodiol (24a) and/or its 1- or 2-hydroxy derivatives (24b and 24c) and the corresponding diol and triol epoxides (25 -c) as the proximate and ultimate carcinogenic forms, respectively, of 3-MC (90-93). 

Epoxidation of the 1,2- and 7,8-dihydrodiols of 5-MC with m-chloroperbenzoic acid furnished the corresponding anti diol epoxides 26 and J27. Compound 26 was the first diol epoxide bearing a methyl group in the same bay region as the epoxide function to be synthesized. While the diol epoxide 26 is relatively reactive (104), it is more stable than the structurally analogous DMBA 1,2-diol-3,4-epoxide (21) it was obtained as a white crystalline solid. 

The mechanism of carcinogenesis by PAHs is believed to involve alkylation of an informational macromolecule in a critical, but at present unknown, manner. Such an interaction with a protein has been modelled by alkylation of a peptide this showed a conformational change occurred on alkylation. It has not yet been possible to study the structure of DNA alkylated by an activated carcinogen this is because DNA is a fiber and the structural order in it is not sufficient for a crystal structure determination. However the crystal structures of some alkylated portions of nucleic acids are described, particularly some nucleosides alkylated by chloromethyl derivatives of DMBA. In crystals of these alkylation products the PAH portion of the adduct shows a tendency to lie between the bases of other nucleoside... 

---