Tumorigenicity of nitrated derivatives of pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene and benzo[a]pyrene in the newborn mouse assay

• Published in: Carcinogenesis (New York) Vol. 7; no. 8; p. 1317
• Main Authors: Wislocki, P G, Bagan, E S, Lu, A Y, Dooley, K L, Fu, P P, Han-Hsu, H, Beland, F A, Kadlubar, F F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 1986
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Benz(a)Anthracenes - toxicity; Benzo(a)pyrene; Biotransformation; Carcinogens - metabolism; Chrysenes - toxicity; Female; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - chemically induced; Lung Neoplasms - chemically induced; Lymphoma - chemically induced; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Neoplasms, Experimental - chemically induced; Nitro Compounds - toxicity; Phenanthrenes - toxicity; Pregnancy; Pyrenes - toxicity; Structure-Activity Relationship
• DOI: 10.1093/carcin/7.8.1317
• ISSN: 0143-3334

Eight nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including 1- and 4-nitropyrene, 1,3-, 1,6- and 1,8-dinitropyrene, 7-nitrobenz[a]anthracene, 6-nitrochrysene and 6-nitrobenzo-[a]pyrene and their parent PAHs were tested fro tumorigenicity in the newborn mouse model by i.p. administration at 1, 8, and 15 days after birth. Both pyrene and 1-nitropyrene induced similar incidences of hepatic tumors in males, yielding a 12-15% and a 21-28% tumor incidence at total doses of 700 and 2800 nmol per mouse, respectively. Liver tumors did not occur in females and the 3-10% lung tumor yield in both sexes was similar to that found in solvent-treated controls. The presumed proximate carcinogen, 1-nitrosopyrene, administered at 700 nmol per mouse, caused liver tumors in 45% of the males and in 9% of the females. 4-Nitropyrene was more tumorigenic than pyrene or 1-nitropyrene; at a dose of 2800 nmol, it induced liver tumors in 83% of the males and 7% of the females, with a lung tumor yield of 38 and 31%, respectively. Female mice treated with 200 nmol of 1,3-, 1,6- or 1,8-dinitropyrene did not develop liver tumors but the hepatic tumor incidence in males was 20, 32 and 16%, respectively, which was significantly greater than that found in mice treated with pyrene. In male mice administered 2800 nmol of benz[a]anthracene, the hepatic tumor incidence was 79%, while treatment with 7-nitrobenz[a]anthracene showed an incidence of only 28%. Similarly, 560 nmol of benzo[a]pyrene caused a 49% liver tumor yield in males while those given 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene had a 28% incidence. Treatment with benzo[a]pyrene also induced a 35 and 48% lung tumor incidence in males and females while the comparable values in 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene-treated mice were 14 and 2%. Chrysene administered at 2800 nmol per mouse induced hepatic and lung tumors in 41% and 21% of the males, respectively; at the 700-nmol dose, it induced only liver tumors in 29% of the males and in none of the females. In contrast, treatment with 6-nitrochrysene at 700 nmol per mouse resulted in a 76 and 23% hepatic tumor incidence in males and females, respectively.