title: Nitroaromatic compounds: Environmental toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, therapy and mechanism.
abstract: Vehicle pollution is an increasing problem in the industrial world. Aromatic nitro compounds comprise a significant portion of the threat. In this review, the class includes nitro derivatives of benzene, biphenyls, naphthalenes, benzanthrone and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plus nitroheteroaromatic compounds. The numerous toxic manifestations are discussed. An appreciable number of drugs incorporate the nitroaromatic structure. The mechanistic aspects of both toxicity and therapy are addressed in the context of a unifying mechanism involving electron transfer, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and antioxidants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kovacic
authors.forename: Ratnasamy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Somanathan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001551:Benz(a)Anthracenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004579:Electron Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D009153:Mutagens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D009574:Nitro Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001551:Benz(a)Anthracenes; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D009153:Mutagens; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C117220:3-nitrobenzanthrone; C040438:4-nitrobiphenyl
keywords: electron transfer; nitro aromatic; pollution; radical mechanism; toxicity