Environmental carcinogens, mammalian cell

In summary, these studies have demonstrated the general utility of short-term tests to evaulate the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of environmental chemicals. It is now clear that to provide a comprehensive evaluation, it will be necessary to supplement such short-term in vitro asssays as the Ames Salmonella test and an in vitro assay for chromosome aberrations in mammalian cells in culture with short-term in vivo assays. At present, the best candidates for these in vivo assays are (1) the mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay, and (2) the assay for unscheduled DNA synthesis in rat liver cells. 

PAHs are ubiquitous environmental pollutants known to be mutagenic and carcinogenic in mammalian cells [131, 132]. PAHs require metabolic activation that results in diol epoxide formation via reactions that are catalyzed by epoxide hydrolase and the CYP450 family of enzymes [133], Diol epoxides are highly reactive, particularly toward purines in DNA, forming guanine and adenine adducts that exist as as and trans stereoisomers [134]. Transcription past adducts derived from diol epoxides of benzo[o]pyrene (benzo[a]pyrene diol expoxide (B[a]PDE)), benzo[c]phenanthrene (benzo[c]phenanthrene diol epoxide (B[c]PhDE)), and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (dibenzo[o,l]pyrene diol epoxide (B[a,l]PDE)) has been studied. 

Beyersmann D, Koster A, Buttner B. 1985. Model reactions of chromium compounds with mammalian and bacterial cells. In MerianE, Fre RW, Hardi W, et al., eds. Carcinogenic and mutagenic metal compounds Environmental and analytical chemistry and biological effects. London, UK Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 303-310. 

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