INDUCTION OF CHROMOSOMAL-ABERRATIONS AND SPINDLE DISTURBANCES IN CHINESE-HAMSTER EPITHELIAL LIVER-CELLS IN CULTURE BY PYRENE AND BENZO[ALPHA]PYRENE QUINONES

Regioisomers of pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene quinones were tested for their ability to induce structural and numerical aberrations and spindle disturbance in Chinese hamster epithelial liver (CHEL) cells in culture, All quinones tested were clastogenic, Pyrene-1,8-quinone (P-1,8-Q) and benzo[a]pyrene-3,6-quinone (BP-3,6-Q) induced strikingly high levels of triradials, In addition, dicentrics and ring chromosomes were very common in BP-3,6-Q-treated cultures, Isomers of these compounds, pyrene-1,6-quinone (P-1,6-Q) and benzo[a]pyrene-1,6-quinone (BP-1,6-Q), induced unobtrusive patterns of chromosomal aberrations, We suspect that the P-1,8-Q and BP-3,6-Q moieties bound to the DNA were still reactive, and formed crosslinks and/or underwent redox cycling leading to high local concentrations of reactive oxygen species, In addition, P1,8-Q and BP-3,6-Q induced c-mitoses, hyperdiploidies and polyploidies, in particular endoreduplications, These effects were not seen with the other two test compounds, or they were only detected at the highest concentrations used, which were strongly cytotoxic (c-mitoses with P-1,6-Q, polyploidies with BP-1,6-Q).