In vitro microsome- and cytosol-mediated binding of 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,2-dibromoethane with DNA.

Metabolic activation of 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and 1,2-dibromoethane (DBE) to forms able to bind covalently with DNA occurs in vitro either by way of microsomal or cytosolic pathways. The involvement of these two pathways is variable with respect to species or compound tested. Rat enzymes are generally more efficient than mouse enzymes in bioactivating haloalkanes and DBE is more reactive than DCE. This parallels both the previous report on in vivo comparative interaction and the higher genotoxicity of DBE.