Mutagenicity of 3-chlorodibenzofuran and its metabolic activation.

3-Chlorodibenzofuran was the only markedly mutagenic isomer among the four monochlorodibenzofurans. Although it was mutagenic even in the absence of 9,000g supernatant fraction (S9) of rat liver, it was further activated by the addition of S9. Metabolic activation of this compound in mutagenicity was studied using liver S9s and cell fractions which were prepared from rats treated with two inducers. 1,1-Dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE) was used as an inducer of phenobarbital inducible cytochrome P-450, and beta-naphthoflavone (beta NF) was used as an inducer of 3-methylcholanthrene inducible cytochrome P-448. S9, microsomal, mitochondrial, and cytosolic fractions were obtained from four groups of rats, i.e., untreated, DDE treated, beta NF treated, and DDE and beta NF treated groups. Mutagenicity was tested using Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA98, because this strain is more sensitive to 3-chlorodibenzofuran than strain TA100. This experiment showed that 3-chlorodibenzofuran was activated most highly by beta NF-induced microsomes. However, it was also activated by the cytosolic fraction. Moreover, it was highly activated in rat livers which were not treated with inducers. The activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) of each fraction was measured. AHH did not always become an index of the metabolic activation of 3-chlorodibenzofuran. This study showed that 3-chlorodibenzofuran is activated not only by cytochrome P-448, which is induced by 3-methylcholanthrene type inducers, but also by the enzymes existing in normal rat liver. This result suggests a risk of manifestation of its toxicity to normal animals.