The formation of dihydrodiols by the chemical or enzymic oxidation of benz[a]anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

Abstract When benz[ a ]anthracene was oxidised in a reaction mixture containing ascorbic acid, ferrous sulphate and EDTA, the non-K-region dihydrodiols, trans -1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxybenz[ a ]anthracene and trans -3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxybenz[ a ]anthracene together with small amounts of the 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiols were formed. When oxidised in a similar system, 7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene yielded the K-region dihydrodiol, trans -5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene and the non-K-region dihydrodiols, trans -3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene, trans -8,9-dihydro-8,9-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene, trans -10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxy-7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene and a trace of the 1,2-dihydrodiol. The structures and sterochemistry of the dihydrodiols were established by comparisons of their UV spectra and chromatographic characteristics using HPLC with those of authentic compounds or, when no authentic compounds were available, by UV, NMR and mass spectral analysis. An examination by HPLC of the dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism, by rat-liver microsomal fractions, of benz[ a ]anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene was carried out. The metabolic dihydrodiols were identified by comparisons of their chromatographic and UV or fluorescence spectral characteristics with compounds of known structures. The principal metabolic dihydrodiols formed from both benz[ a ]anthracene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene were the trans -5,6- and trans -8,9-dihydrodiols. The 1,2- and 10,11-dihydrodiols were identified as minor products of the metabolism of benz[ a ]anthracene and the tentative identification of the trans -3,4-dihydrodiol as a metabolite was made from fluorescence and chromatographic data. The minor metabolic dihydrodiols formed from 7,12-dimethylbenz[ a ]anthracene were the trans -3,4-dihydrodiol and the trans -10,11-dihydrodiol but the trans -1,2-dihydrodiol was not detected in the present study.