Differences in metabolic activation of dibenzo[a,e]fluoranthene characterized by 32P-postlabeling in two mouse fibroblast models.

The formation of DNA adducts was investigated in mouse fibroblasts from two different tissues--embryos and adult lung--after incubation with dibenzo[a,e]fluoranthene (DBF) or its major proximate metabolites. The nuclease P1 modification of the 32P-postlabeling method was adapted for detection of DBF-DNA adducts. Quantitative and qualitative differences were observed in the metabolic activation mediated by the two cell types. DBF-DNA adducts generated three major spots reproducibly, and more than ten spots of medium or weak importance. The highest level of DNA binding occurred via the DBF-bay region vicinal dihydrodiol epoxide but with significant differences in the quantitative distribution of adducts. Striking qualitative differences were observed when lung fibroblasts were incubated with the DBF-pseudo bay region dihydrodiol (DBF-12,13-DHD). The spots representing adducts induced in embryo fibroblasts by DBF-3OH-12,13-DHD, a further metabolite of DBF-12,13-DHD, were totally absent from chromatograms of lung cells. These results show that both embryo and lung fibroblasts can activate DBF but that different cytochrome P-450 forms and substrate affinities are involved. The finding that different activation systems may be present in subcategories of the same tissue, may provide a partial explanation for the wide variations in sensitivity to carcinogens among species, organs and tissues.