The effect of fluoro substituents on reactivity of 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene diol epoxides

The present study has examined potential mechanisms for the influence of F-substituents on the biologic activity of methylbenz[a]anthracenes. DNA adducts derived from reaction of the racemic bay-region anti-diol epoxides of 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene, and its 9- and 10-fluoro derivatives, with calf thymus DNA in vitro were partially characterized. All three hydrocarbon diol epoxides produced similar DNA adduct profiles upon reaction with calf thymus DNA in vitro that were composed of two deoxyguanosine and two deoxyadenosine adducts (tentatively identified as trans addition products). The extent of covalent binding to calf thymus DNA, as estimated by 32P-postlabeling, was similar for all three diol epoxides. The reactivity of the unsubstituted and 10-F-substituted diol epoxide was further assessed by measuring overall pseudo-first-order rate constants for hydrolysis in water or 0.1 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.0, and in the presence or absence of native or denatured DNA. The rate constant for hydrolysis of 7-me...