Fu P P, Cerniglia C E, Richardson K E, Heflich R H
National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR 72079.
Mutat Res. 1988 Nov-Dec;209(3-4):123-9. doi: 10.1016/0165-7992(88)90028-0.
6-Nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, an environmental pollutant, was metabolized by human intestinal microflora to 6-nitrosobenzo[a]pyrene and 6-aminobenzo[a]pyrene. The two-electron reduction product 6-nitrosobenzo[a]pyrene exhibited strong direct-acting mutagenicity in the Salmonella typhimurium assay. These results imply that 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene can be hazardous to human health via a nitroreduction activation pathway and opens the possibility that other nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are not direct-acting mutagens may be activated in vivo by a similar mechanism.
