Quantitation of enantiomers of r-7,t-8,9,c-10-tetrahydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]-pyrene in human urine: evidence supporting metabolic activation of benzo[a]pyrene via the bay region diol epoxide.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a potent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogen, is widely distributed in the human environment. All humans are exposed to BaP through the diet and contact with the general environment; cigarette smokers have higher exposure. An important pathway of BaP metabolism proceeds through formation of diol epoxides including the 'bay region diol epoxide' 7R,8S-dihydroxy-9S,10R-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [BaP-(7R,8S)-diol-(9S,10R)-epoxide] and the 'reverse diol epoxide' 9S,10R-dihydroxy-7R,8S-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo [a]pyrene [BaP-(9S,10R)-diol-(7R,8S)-epoxide]. The bay region diol epoxide is considered a major ultimate carcinogen of BaP based on studies in cell culture and laboratory animals, but the available data in humans are less convincing. The bay region diol epoxide and the reverse diol epoxide react with H2O to produce enantiomeric BaP-tetraols that are excreted in the urine. We used chiral stationary-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry to quantify these enantiomeric BaP-tetraols in the urine of 25 smokers and 25 non-smokers. The results demonstrated that the BaP-tetraol enantiomer representing the carcinogenic bay region diol epoxide pathway accounted for 68±6% (range 56-81%) of total BaP-tetraol in smokers and 64±6% (range 46-78%) in non-smokers. Levels of the major BaP-tetraol enantiomer decreased by 75% in smokers who quit smoking. These data provide convincing evidence in support of the bay region diol epoxide mechanism of BaP carcinogenesis in humans.