A metabolite of the carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene that reacts predominantly with adenine residues in DNA.

Four 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene--deoxyribonucleoside adducts formed in mouse epidermis in vivo arise from the syn dihydrodiol epoxide metabolite of this carcinogen. With the synthetic syn dihydrodiol epoxide it was possible to identify three of these as deoxyadenosine adducts and to establish their structures. These three adducts account for the large majority of DNA adduct arising from this metabolite in vivo. The in vivo metabolite is unusual, therefore, in that it reacts almost exclusively with adenine residues in DNA while most carcinogen metabolites react preferentially with guanine residues.