title: A comparison of the DNA intercalative binding of bay versus K region metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene.
abstract: The DNA intercalating properties of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (1) and of trans-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (2) have been compared in UV absorption and in fluorescence emission and fluorescence lifetime studies. Molecules 1 and 2 represent steric models of the two epoxide containing metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene, trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) and benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide. The former of these metabolites is a highly carcinogenic bay region metabolite, the latter is a much less carcinogenic K region metabolite. The association constant for intercalation for model 1 is 5,226 M-1. This is more than 2.7 times greater than that for molecule 2. These results taken together with results form previous studies of bay and K region metabolite models of benz[a]anthracene suggest that intercalation is important to the overall carcinogenic activity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
mesh_terms: D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000378:metabolism*; D001580:Benzopyrenes / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004101:Dihydroxydihydrobenzopyrenes; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D001580:Benzopyrenes; D004101:Dihydroxydihydrobenzopyrenes; C017228:benzo(a)pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol; C015813:4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; D004247:DNA