Numerous reports have illustrated the versatility of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related halogenated aromatics as inducers of drug-metabolizing enzymes and the activity of individual compounds are remarkably dependent on structure. The most active PCB congeners,3,4,4',3,3',4,3,3',4,4',3',4,4',5,, are substituted at both para and at two or more meta positions. The four coplanar PCBs resembled 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and 2,3,7,3,7, in their mode of induction of the hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes. These compounds induced rat hepatic microsomal benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase (aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, AHH) and cytochromes P-450a, P-450c and P-450d. 3,4,4',5-Tetrachlorobiphenyl, the least active coplanar PCB, also induced dimethylaminoantipyrine N-demethylase and cytochromes P-450b + e and resembled Aroclor 1254 as an inducer of the mixed-function oxidase system. Like Aroclor 1254, all the mono-ortho-and at least eight di-ortho-chloro analogs of the coplanar PCBs exhibited a "mixed-type" induction pattern and induced microsomal AHH, dimethylaminoantipyrine NM-demethylase and cytochromes P-450a-P-450e. Quantative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) there was an excellent correlation between AHH induction potencies and receptor binding avidities of these compounds and the order of activity was coplanar PCBs (3,3',4,3,3',4,4',3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyls) > 3,4,4',5-tetrachlorobiphenyl -mono-ortho coplanar PCBs > di-ortho coplanar PCBs. It was also apparent that the relative toxicities of this group of PCBs paralleled their biological potencies.The coplanar and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs also exhibit differential effects in the inbred C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. These compounds induce AHH and cause thymic atrophy in the former "responsive" mice whereas at comparable or higher doses none of these effects are observed in the nonresponsive DBD/ 2J mice. Since the responsiveness of these two mice strains is due to the presence of the Ah receptor protein in the C57BL/6J mice and its relatively low concentration in the DBA/2J mice, the results for the PCB cogeners support the proposed receptor-mediated mechanism of action.Although the precise structural requirements for ligand binding to the receptor have not been delineated, the halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons which exhibit the highest binding affinities for the receptor protein are approximate isostereomers of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. 2,3,4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl elicits effects which are qualitatively similar to that of TCDD and the presence of the lateral 4'-substituent is required for this activity. Thus the 4'-substituted 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyls have been used as probes for determining the substituent characteristics which favor binding to the receptor protein. Multiple regression analysis of the competitive binding EC50 values for 13 substituents gave the following equation: log (1/EC5O) = 1.53a + 1.47T + 1.09 HB + 4.08 where a is electronegativity, a is hydrophobicity, HB is hydrogen bonding and r is the correlation coefficient (r = 0.978). The ut...

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Numerous reports have illustrated the versatility of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related halogenated aromatics as inducers of drug-metabolizing enzymes and the activity of individual compounds are remarkably dependent on structure. The most active PCB congeners, 3,4,4',5-tetra-, 3,3',4,4'-tetra-, 3,3',4,4',5-penta- and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl, are substituted at both para and at two or more meta positions. The four coplanar PCBs resembled 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) in their mode of induction of the hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes. These compounds induced rat hepatic microsomal benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase (aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, AHH) and cytochromes P-450a, P-450c and P-450d. 3,4,4',5-Tetrachlorobiphenyl, the least active coplanar PCB, also induced dimethylaminoantipyrine N-demethylase and cytochromes P-450b+e and resembled Aroclor 1254 as an inducer of the mixed-function oxidase system. Like Aroclor 1254, all the mono-ortho- and at least eight di-ortho-chloro analogs of the coplanar PCBs exhibited a "mixed-type" induction pattern and induced microsomal AHH, dimethylaminoantipyrine NM-demethylase and cytochromes P-450a-P-450e. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) within this series of PCBs were determined by comparing their AHH induction potencies (EC50) in rat hepatoma H-4-II-E cells and their binding affinities (ED50) for the 2,3,7,8-TCDD cytosolic receptor protein. The results showed that there was an excellent correlation between AHH induction potencies and receptor binding avidities of these compounds and the order of activity was coplanar PCBs (3,3',4,4' -tetra-, 3,3',4,4',5-penta- and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyls) greater than 3,4,4',5-tetrachlorobiphenyl approximately mono-ortho coplanar PCBs greater than di-ortho coplanar PCBs. It was also apparent that the relative toxicities of this group of PCBs paralleled their biological potencies. The coplanar and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs also exhibit differential effects in the inbred C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. These compounds induce AHH and cause thymic atrophy in the former "responsive" mice whereas at comparable or higher doses none of these effects are observed in the nonresponsive DBD/2J mice. Since the responsiveness of these two mice strains is due to the presence of the Ah receptor protein in the C57BL/6J mice and its relatively low concentration in the DBA/2J mice, the results for the PCB cogeners support the proposed receptor-mediated mechanism of action.

The quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners have been determined by comparing the ECQ, values for three in vitro test systems, namely, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) induction in rat hepatoma H-4-II-E cells and competitive binding avidities to the rat cytosolic receptor protein (using 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin as a radioligand). For several PCB congeners that are in vivo inducers of rat hepatic microsomal AHH, there was a linear correlation between the -log EC.4 values for receptor and&the -log ECso values for AHH (or EROD) induction; moreover, a comparable linear relationship was observed between the -log EC.4 values for AHH and EROD induction. Previous in vivo studies have shown that the most active PCB congeners 3,3',4,4'-tetra-, 3,4,4',5-tetra-, 3,3',4,4',5-penta-, and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl, cause many of the biologic and toxic effects reported for the highly toxic halogenated aryl hydrocarbon, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Moreover, the monoortho-substituted homologs of the four coplanar PCBs also elicit comparable in vivo biologic and toxic responses. It was evident from the QSARs for PCBs that there was an excellent correspondence between the in vivo and in vitro potencies of the individual PCB congeners.The effects of substituents on both receptor binding and AHH/EROD induction was determined for a series of 4'-substituted (X)-2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyls (where X = H, Cl, Br, I, OH, OCH,, NO2, COCH3, F, CF3, CH3, C2HA, i-C3H7, n-C4H, and t-C4H,). Not unexpectedly, there was a linear relationship between the -log ECso values for AHH and EROD induction, and these results confirm that both enzymatic oxidations are catalyzed by the same cytochrome P-450 isozyme(s). The effects of substituent structure on receptor binding for 12 substituents was subjected to multiple regression analysis which correlates the relative binding affinities of the compounds with the physical chemical characteristics of the substituents. The analysis gave the following equation: log (1/EC,0) = 1.53a + 1.47Th + 1.09 HB + 4.08 for n = 12, s = 0.18, r = 0.978; where n is the number of substituents, s is the standard deviation, r is the correlation coefficient, and af = electronegativity, -T = hydrophobicity (log P) and HB = hydrogen bonding capacity for the substituent groups. The data suggest that the latter three parameters facilitate the interaction between.the ligand and the cytosolic receptor protein. The effects of two lateral substituents on ligandreceptor interactions are not readily explained by the above relationship and may depend on other substituent physical chemical parameters.

The biologic and toxic effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are remarkably dependent on their structure. The most toxic PCBs, namely 3,3',4,4'-tetra-, 3,3',4,4',5-penta- and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl are substituted in at least one meta and para position on both phenyl rings (i.e., the lateral positions) and contain no ortho-chloro substituents. These three congeners and a fourth PCB, namely 3,4,4',5-tetrachlorobiphenyl, are approximate isostereomers of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and, in common with TCDD, induce hepatic microsomal benzo[a]pyrene or aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) in rats and rat hepatoma cells in culture. The mono-ortho substituted analogs of the four laterally substituted PCBs also induce microsomal AHH activity and simultaneously enhance microsomal enzyme activities which are inducible by phenobarbitone (PB). This group of PCBs exhibits many of the properties of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and related polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins; there is a close parallel in the relative potencies of these PCBs for AHH induction and their binding affinities for the Ah receptor protein and some of these PCBs are also toxic. Preliminary studies on other halogenated biphenyls confirm that the polarizability of a lateral substituent is an important factor in their activity as AHH inducers (i.e., I greater than Br greater than Cl greater than F). However, preliminary results with other substituted halogenated biphenyls suggest that additional structural factors are also important in determining the activity of these compounds.