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Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 [T. R. F., J. P. M.]; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 [M. W., C. L. T., D. A. B.]; and Analytical Sciences, Inc., Durham, North Carolina 27713 [R. W. M.]
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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EO is a widely used industrial chemical intermediate and gaseous sterilant. It is a highly reactive alkylating agent that can react directly with cellular macromolecules, including DNA, RNA, and protein, without prior metabolic activation. Chronic exposure to EO has been shown to cause tumors in both rats (8) and mice (9) . EO has been classified recently as group I (carcinogenic to humans) by the IARC (10) , based on mechanistic considerations.
Adducts formed by reaction of chemicals and their metabolites in hemoglobin provide a means of assessing exposure and of measuring internal dose (11 , 12) . A number of adducts formed in hemoglobin are elevated by cigarette smoking (12) . Ethylene and EO from cigarette smoke result in an increase in HEVal in hemoglobin from smokers (13 , 14) .
ACN binds extensively to hemoglobin both in vitro and in vivo (15 , 16) . A method for the assessment of exposure to ACN has been developed that uses measurement of CEVal, an adduct formed by reaction of ACN with the NH2-terminal residue of globin (17) . Application of this method to analysis of adducts in cigarette smokers indicated that there was a significant elevation in CEVal compared with nonsmokers (17, 18, 19, 20) . ACN is found in cigarette smoke (21 , 22) . Because the presence of ACN in cigarette smoke may contribute to significant levels of CEVal compared with low-level exposure in the workplace, understanding the range of CEVal levels that may arise from cigarette smoking is important.
The extent of adduct reaction for a given dose is related to the AUC in blood for the reactive chemical (11) . For a given dose administered, a determinant of AUC is the rate of metabolism. Interindividual differences in metabolism would thus be expected to influence the amount of an adduct formed from an exposure.
Both EO and ACN can undergo metabolism by conjugation with GSH. For EO,
the reaction is catalyzed by GSTs in liver cytosol (23)
.
ACN undergoes rapid nonenzymic reaction with GSH, and the rate of
reaction can be enhanced by the presence of GSTs (24)
. In
addition, ACN undergoes metabolism by oxidation to cyanoethylene oxide
(25)
, which can be further metabolized by conjugation with
GSH or by hydrolysis. The distribution of metabolites between oxidation
and GSH conjugation is species dependent, with
40% metabolized
via direct GSH conjugation in the mouse and 60% in the rat
(26
, 27) .
Human GSTM1 is known to catalyze the conjugation of
trans-stilbene oxide and numerous electrophilic aromatic
hydrocarbon epoxides with GSH (28)
. A catalytic role for
GSTM1 in ACN or EO metabolism has not been evaluated. The GSTT1 enzyme
catalyzes the conjugation of GSH with the model substrates
1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane and
p-nitrobenzylchloride (29)
. Evidence suggests
that the GSTT1 enzyme is responsible for the ability of human
erythrocytes to catalyze GSH conjugation of a variety of chemical
substrates, including small epoxides such as EO, butadiene monoepoxide
and diepoxide, monohalogenomethanes, and methylene chloride
(30, 31, 32, 33)
. However, a
class GST isozyme isolated
recently from human erythrocytes displayed a different substrate
specificity than that observed with GSTT1 enzyme isolated from human
liver, and it has been suggested that the enzyme also occurs in an
NH2-terminal modified form (34)
.
Both GSTM1 and GSTT1 are polymorphic, and the null alleles of these genes have deletions of the entire protein-coding region (35 , 36) . The GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null alleles are transmitted as autosomal recessive, with the phenotypic absence of the isozymes resulting from inheritance of a null allele from both parents. The prevalence of GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null genotypes differ markedly across ethnic and racial groups (GSTM1, 3060%; GSTT1, 964%; Refs. 37 and 38 ). GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null genotypes have been associated with increased risk of cancer in a number of studies, and it is hypothesized that individuals with putative high-risk genotypes suffer higher levels of carcinogeninduced genotoxic damage (37 , 39) .
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between CEVal, HEVal, and smoking status (self-reported and plasma cotinine levels) and, furthermore, to examine the impact of polymorphisms in GSTM1 and GSTT1 on the level of CEVal and HEVal formed in smokers.
| Materials and Methods |
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Blood samples were collected in Vacutainer tubes (Becton
Dickinson) containing either ACD solution B (DNA extraction) or sodium
heparin (hemoglobin adduct analysis) and coded. All laboratory analysis
was carried out in a blinded fashion. DNA for genotyping was extracted
from
5 ml of fresh peripheral blood by lysis and separation of
leukocyte nuclei (lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes), followed
by conventional proteinase K digestion and phenol/chloroform extraction
on an ABI 340 DNA extractor using the ABI protocol (Applied Biosystems,
Foster City, CA). GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null
polymorphisms were determined using PCR using the multiplex method of
Chen et al. (41)
, which is a modification of
previous approaches (36
, 37)
. The CYP2E1
(RsaI c1/c2 alleles) genotype was also determined
for these individuals, but no rare c2 alleles were found in
this study group. Analyses of positive and negative control samples and
reagent blanks were carried out for each sample set. PCR products were
resolved on a 4% 3:1 Nusieve/agarose gel (FMC Bioproducts, Rockland,
ME).
Blood samples for hemoglobin adduct analysis were centrifuged at 1000 x g for 20 min at 4°C for separation of plasma. Washed erythrocytes were prepared by repeated centrifugation (three times) with 0.9% saline. Both erythrocytes and plasma were stored at -80°. Globin was isolated from the washed erythrocytes (42) and stored at -20°C until use.
Dried globin samples (80150 mg) were prepared for analysis by dissolving in 1.5 ml of vacuum-distilled formamide. Internal standard solution (20 µl containing 60 pmol d3-cyanoethyl-val-gly-gly) was added; and, after the globin had completely dissolved, 7 µl of pentafluorophenyl isothiocyanate were added. An internal standard for hydroxyethylvaline, prepared from reaction of ethylene oxide-d4 with hemoglobin (containing 160 pmol of HEVal-d4), was also added (40) . The samples were reacted overnight, and the pentafluorophenylthiohydantoins were isolated as described previously (17) . Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the negative ion chemical ionization mode using a Finnigan 4500 quadrupole mass spectrometer. Methane was used as the reagent gas. Samples (1 µl) were chromatographed, with monitoring of ion currents for m/z 274 and 277 for CEVal and m/z 348 and 352 for HEVal. Quantitation was conducted based on peak area ratios. After adduct analysis, the samples were decoded, and the correlation between smoking status and adduct formation was examined.
Cotinine analysis in plasma was conducted at the American Health
Foundation using an immunoassay technique (43
, 44)
. The
limit of detection was
2 ng/ml.
Linear regression analysis was conducted to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between smoking and HEVal or CEVal, between cotinine and HEVal or CEVal, and between HEVal and CEVal. Linear regression of hemoglobin adduct on serum cotinine concentration or smoking (packs/day) incorporating separate error variance terms for nonsmokers and smokers was fit by REML methods using the MIXED procedure in SAS version 6.12 (45) . Using linear regressions with separate intercepts, tests for slope difference between null and active GST genotypes were carried out using t tests constructed from REML solutions to normal likelihood equations. Similar t tests were used to test for differences in mean hemoglobin adduct level and cotinine level among subjects who smoked zero, one, or two packs/day. For these analyses, smoking rates for three individuals with self-reported rates between one and two packs/day were rounded to the nearest integer.
Nonparametric statistical methods were initially used to test
hypotheses because of concerns about variance heterogeneity and to
avoid distributional assumptions. Two sample tests for differences in
hemoglobin adduct and cotinine levels and in HEVal:CEVal ratios were
carried out using Wilcoxons rank sum test (46)
. Exact
Ps were computed for small sample sizes. Tests for
association were carried out using Kendalls rank correlation
coefficient,
(46)
. This nonparametric test does not
assume linearity and does not require equal variance.
| Results |
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The relationship between cotinine and adduct levels was examined. For
smokers and nonsmokers combined, there was a significant positive
association, as measured by Kendalls
(-1 <
< 1),
between cotinine and CEVal (
= 0.523; P <
0.001) and between cotinine and HEVal (
= 0.596;
P < 0.001).
Regression analysis of HEVal and smoking rate indicated that
GSTT1-null genotypes had a significant higher slope value
(
50% higher) compared with the active genotypes (Table 2)
. However, no significant difference was noted for any of the
comparisons between CEVal and smoking rate for GSTT1 and
GSTM1 genotypes or for HEVal and smoking rate for
GSTM1 genotype (Table 2)
.
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61%
higher) in the GSTT1-null individuals compared with the
active individuals (Table 2)
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= 0.514; P = 0.003). Data points for the
GSTT1-active smokers were grouped in a diagonal region of
the plot. Data points for four of the eight individuals in the
GSTT1-null group were clearly separated from the region of
the GSTT1-active group. The ratio of HEVal:CEVal in smokers
was significantly higher (
70% higher) in the GSTT1-null
group than the GSTT1-active group (Table 3)
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| Discussion |
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165 pmol/g globin
reported for smokers and controls (19)
. Analysis for HEVal
revealed the formation of 149.9 fmol/mg globin/pack/day (7.5 fmol/mg
globin/cigarette/day). The values reported in the literature for HEVal
formation in smokers are in the same general range, with 71 fmol/mg/10
cigarettes/day (13)
and 12.96 pmol/g
globin/cigarette/day (14)
. Considerable variability was observed within the smokers with respect to their adduct levels. Factors that may influence exposure to ACN, ethylene, and EO include the type of cigarette smoked, the depth of inhalation, frequency of puffing, puff volume, and length of time that smoke is kept in the lungs. These factors have been reported to influence the concentration of nicotine in blood (48) . In addition, the capacity of the individual to metabolize ACN, ethylene, and EO would be expected to influence the rate of elimination of ACN and the rates of production and elimination of EO.
A potential confounding factor in this study was the genotype
distribution of the smokers analyzed. All of the GSTT1-null
smokers were also GSTM1-null
. Among the 19
GSTM1-null smokers, there were 11 GSTT1-active
individuals. Thus, comparison of the four possible combinations of the
two GST genotypes was not possible: GSTT1+,
GSTM1+ (n = 12); GSTT1-,
GSTM1+ (n = 0); GSTT1+,
GSTM1- (n = 12); and GSTT1-,
GSTM1- (n = 8). With nonsmokers, the
distribution of the combined genotypes was: GSTT1+,
GSTM1+ (n = 4); GSTT1-,
GSTM1+ (n = 5); GSTT1+,
GSTM1- (n = 5); and GSTT1-,
GSTM1- (n = 0). Given the absence of an
effect of GSTM1 genotype, an interaction of the two GST
genes is not anticipated but cannot be excluded.
A plausible mechanism by which the two GST polymorphisms investigated in this study could affect CEVal and HEVal would be by altering the rate of removal of EO and ACN. ACN reacts rapidly with GSH in the absence of GST, and in an investigation of six human liver samples, cytosolic fractions from four were found to catalyze the reaction (24) . However, the enhancements ranged from 19 to 46% of the chemical rate. Scaling to whole liver suggested that the enzyme-catalyzed rate ranged up to four times that of the chemical rate. This suggests a potential role for GSTs in the metabolism of ACN in the liver. Analysis of specific GST isozyme activity toward ACN has not been investigated previously, and no distinct polymorphic variation in the metabolism of ACN has been described. From this limited information on GST-catalyzed ACN metabolism in humans, two explanations for the observed lack of detectable effects for specific GST polymorphisms are possible. There may be little involvement of GSTs in ACN metabolism under these exposure conditions, as a result of the rapid rate of chemical reaction of ACN with GSH. Alternatively, GSTM1 and GSTT1 may not be key enzymes in the metabolism of ACN and thus may not modulate the formation of CEVal. Similarly, although GSTM1 could potentially modulate EO concentrations and adducts, there is little evidence that GSTM1 has a major role in the metabolism of EO.
In contrast, there is strong evidence for GSTT1 involvement
in the metabolism of EO (30
, 49)
, and thus the results
observed in this study are consistent with the known metabolism of EO.
Smokers with the GSTT1-null genotype had levels that were
50% (HEVal versus smoking) to 70% (HEVal
versus cotinine: 61%; and HEVal versus CEVal:
70%) higher than the GSTT1-active individuals. The
observation that GSTT1 genotype affects HEVal adduct levels
is one of only a few cases in which genotype strongly influences levels
of an internal marker of exposure. The findings are analogous to the
impact that N-acetyltransferase genotype has on markers of
aromatic amine exposure (50)
.
Müller et al. (51) reported recently that, among nonsmokers, GSTT1-null individuals had higher median levels of HEVal adducts compared with GSTT1-active genotypes. This was not confirmed in our study. Müller et al. (51) did not use an independent marker of smoking, such as cotinine measurement, to confirm their classification of nonsmokers. They also reported that among smokers, neither smoking dose nor GSTT1 genotype had observed effects on HEVal levels. Our observations that smoking exposure can be high in a nonsmoker and that smoking dose/day strongly influences both CEVal and HEVal adduct levels suggest that exposure assessment as well as sample size are crucial considerations in studies of gene-environment interaction.
Recently, CEVal and HEVal levels were reported in ACN workers in
whom GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes were determined
(52)
. Although no significant differences with
GSTT1 or GSTM1 genotype were found on the level
of CEVal in the workers, this conclusion was based on comparison
between active and null subjects using a t test, with no
consideration of the effect that extent of exposure may have on
individual adduct levels. The levels of HEVal were reported to be
one-third higher in GSTT1-null individuals compared with the
GSTT1-active individuals, without consideration of
smoking behavior. Further analysis of the data reported
(52)
indicates that there was no significant difference
between GSTT1-null (15.3 ± 3.2 µg HEVal/l;
n = 3) and active genotypes (13.0 ± 6.2 µg
HEVal/l; n = 18) in nonsmokers. There was a
significant difference (P < 0.01) in smokers, with
50% higher levels of HEVal in GSTT1-null individuals
(26.0 ± 9.1 µg HEVal/l; n = 8) compared
with GSTT1-active individuals (17.1 ± 5.7 µg
HEVal/l; n = 30).
Other enzyme polymorphisms may play a role in determining the individual variability of adducts observed in this study but have not been evaluated. In addition to GSH conjugation, ACN is oxidized to cyanoethylene oxide, primarily by CYP2E1 (53, 54, 55) . Ethylene may undergo similar oxidation by CYP2E1. CYP2E1 activity varies considerably among humans, expression being inducible by alcohol and other exposures (56) . Exposure to inducers of CYP2E1 and genetic variability in CYP2E1 induction could influence the relationship between exposure and the extent of adduct formation. CYP2E1 expression may possibly be influenced by regulatory region polymorphisms (57) . However, the CYP2E1 RsaI polymorphism is rare, occurring at a frequency of <0.04 in whites (58) , and in this study no individuals with polymorphisms were included among the study subjects. Determining the presence of the recently discovered CYP2E1 promoter insertion polymorphism (59) in these samples was not possible. EO is a substrate for epoxide hydrolase, and genetic variation in this enzyme could account for some of the variability observed in HEVal; however, this possibility could not evaluated.
In this study, a significant correlation was found between CEVal and HEVal in smokers. Considerable variability in the ratio of CEVal:HEVal was observed between smokers. The ratio of HEVal:CEVal was significantly higher in GSTT1-null individuals. In two other studies, HEVal and CEVal were measured in smokers. In a study of 13 pregnant smokers and their newborns, a significant correlation was found between the number of cigarettes smoked per day and CEVal in both maternal globin and in cord blood globin (20) . However, a lack of correlation between CEVal and HEVal was reported in that study. As suggested by the authors (20) , the poor correlation between HEVal and CEVal in their small study may be attributable to metabolism differences in the subjects. In a study of smokers, nonsmokers, and laboratory workers, a significant correlation was found between CEVal and HEVal (19) . The data reported here suggest that consideration of GSTT1 genotype can improve the correlation between these two smoking-related biomarkers.
The measurement of CEVal as an indicator of exposure to ACN in
the workplace requires an understanding of the possible contributions
of lifestyle factors to exposure. Our study and other studies have
clearly demonstrated that cigarette smoking contributes to ACN
exposure. Assessments of low-level workplace exposures to ACN using
hemoglobin adducts as an end point certainly need to consider active
smoking (and probably passive smoking also) as a confounding variable
in the analysis. The estimates of ACN exposure from cigarette smoking
can be used to provide a measure for calibration of CEVal as a
dosimeter. Estimates of the amount of ACN in cigarette smoke vary
considerably from 10 to 20 µg/cigarette (22)
, 7.6
µg/cigarette for a Kentucky IR4F reference cigarette, 0.6
µg/cigarette for an ultra-low-tar mentholated brand
(21)
, and a range of 3.515 µg/cigarette
(60)
. Assuming that the average United States cigarette
produces
8 µg ACN, the daily exposure in a one-pack/day smoker
would be
160 µg. The estimated CEVal level from smoking one
pack/day is 170 fmol/mg globin. Assuming a steady-state adduct level,
with exposure over the life span of the erythrocyte (120 days), the
mean adduct formation/day can be calculated from:
![]() |
where y = the extent of adduct formation,
a is the daily adduct increment, and
ter is the erythrocyte lifetime
(11
, 61
, 62)
. The daily adduct increment is
2.83
fmol/mg globin/day. The adduct formed per mg ACN is 2.83/0.16 or 17.7
fmol/mg globin/mg ACN. Exposure to 1 ppm ACN for 8 h in the
workplace with an estimated breathing rate of 10
m3
/shift would correspond to 22 mg of ACN, with
an adduct formation of 374 fmol/mg globin/day. A steady-state adduct
level of
16,000 fmol/mg globin (374 x 120/2 x 5/7) would
be expected from exposure to 1 ppm ACN, 5 days/week. Thus, the level of
CEVal contributed by smoking would be a confounding factor in exposure
assessment at low levels of exposure, in the region of 50 ppb.
Measurement of HEVal together with CEVal could provide an indication of
smoke exposure.
Accounting for interindividual variation is one of the concerns in conducting a risk assessment for the effects of chemicals in humans. Although GST polymorphisms do not appear to affect ACN adducts, the present findings suggest that the GSTT1 polymorphism results in a 5070% difference in internal dose of EO derived from cigarette smoke. It has been suggested that the GSTT1 genotype may influence the SCE background rate (32 , 63) . The differences observed in HEVal between GSTT1-null and GSTT1-active individuals may be related to the small increase in background SCE rate noted in GSTT1-null smokers compared with GSTT1-active smokers and nonsmokers (63) . The impact of the GSTT1 polymorphism on the internal dose of EO after exposure to higher levels than those encountered in smokers has yet to be determined.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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1 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, P. O. Box
12137, 6 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Phone:
(919) 558-1245; Fax: (919) 558-1300; E-Mail: Fennell{at}CIIT.ORG ![]()
2 Present address: Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Durham, NC 27717-0530. ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: ACN, acrylonitrile;
EO, ethylene oxide; HEVal, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine;
CEVal, N-(2-cyanoethyl)valine; AUC, area under the
curve; GSTM1, glutathione transferase M1; GSTT1, glutathione
transferase T1; GSH, glutathione; REML, restricted maximum likelihood;
SCE, sister chromatid exchange; CYP2E1, cytochrome P-450 2E1. ![]()
Received 12/28/99; revised 4/18/00; accepted 4/29/00.
| References |
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