Peroxidase-mediated glutathione conjugation of benzo[a]pyrene-7, 8-dihydrodiol is enhanced by benzo[a]pyrene phenols in vitro

We reported previously that glutathione (GSH) is oxidized by peroxidases to a thiyl radical that can react with a number of chemicals, including the penultimate carcinogenic metabolite benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol (7,8-B[a]PD), to give GSH conjugates. Here, we report that phenolic metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) enhance the peroxidase-mediated formation of glutathione conjugates of 7,8-B[a]PD. The GSH conjugation of 7,8-B[a]PD in a horseradish peroxidase/peroxide system was increased over control values as follows: 9-OH-B[a]P by 4-fold, 7-OH-B[a] by fold, 1-OH-B[a]P by 2-fold