Biotransformation of trans-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene to benzo[a]pyrene bis-diols and DNA adducts by induced rat liver microsomes.

The biotransformation of (+/-)-trans-4,5-dihydroxy-4, 5-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (trans-B[a]P-4,5-diol), the K-region dihydrodiol of B[a]P, by beta-naphthoflavone (BNF)-induced rat liver microsomes was studied. trans-B[a]P-4,5-diol was metabolized to six major products as characterized by NMR, MS, and UV spectroscopy, and all were identified as bis-diols: two diastereomers of trans,trans-4, 5:7,8-tetrahydroxy-4,5:7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (trans, trans-B[a]P-4,5:7,8-bis-diol), two diastereomers of trans,trans-4, 5:9,10-tetrahydroxy-4,5:9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (trans, trans-B[a]P-4,5:9,10-bis-diol), and two diastereomers of the somewhat unusual trans,trans-1,2:4,5-tetrahydroxy-1,2:4, 5-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (trans,trans-B[a]P-1,2:4,5-bis-diol). BNF-induced rat liver microsomes also metabolized B[a]P to the same trans-B[a]P-4,5-diol-derived bis-diols. The ability of trans-B[a]P-4, 5-diol to form DNA adducts was investigated using (32)P-postlabeling techniques specifically designed to detect stable polar DNA adducts. Four DNA adducts were detected after microsomal activation of trans-B[a]P-4,5-diol with calf thymus DNA. Further analyses indicated that each of these stable polar DNA adducts was derived from the further metabolic activation of the trans,trans-B[a]P-4,5:7, 8-bis-diols. We conclude that trans-B[a]P-4,5-diol can be metabolized to a series of B[a]P-bis-diols, and can also be metabolically activated to form stable polar DNA adducts. The trans, trans-B[a]P-4,5:7,8-bis-diols were shown to be metabolic intermediates in the formation of these DNA adducts.