The involvement of a non-‘bay-region’ diol-epoxide in the metabolic activation of benz[a]anthracene in hamster embryo cells

Abstract The major hydrocarbon-nucleoside adduct present in hydrolysates of DNA from hamster embryo cells that had been treated with 3 H-labelled benz[ a ]anthracene in culture has been examined by chromatography on Sephadex LH-20 columns and by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The results show that this adduct most probably arises from r -8, t -9-hydroxy- t -10,11-oxy-8,9,10,11-tetrahydrobenz[ a ]anthracene ( anti -BA-8,9-diol 10,11-oxide). On the basis of this and other evidence, this non-bay-region diol-epoxide appears to be a reactive intermediate involved in the metabolic activation of benz[ a ]anthracene.