Bisphenols
(BPs) are environmental pollutants with relevant DNA
damage in human population; however, they are generally inactive in
standard mutagenicity assays, possibly due to insufficient metabolic
activation. In this study, induction of micronuclei and double-strand
DNA breaks by BPA, BPF, and BPS in Chinese hamster V79-derived cell
lines expressing various human CYP enzymes and a human hepatoma (C3A)
(metabolism-proficient) cell line were investigated. Molecular docking
of BPs to human CYPs indicated some substrate–enzyme potentials,
including CYP1A1 for each compound, which did not induce micronuclei
in V79-derived cell lines expressing human CYP1A2, 2E1, or 3A4 but
became positive in human CYP1A1-expressing (V79-hCYP1A1) cells. In
V79-hCYP1A1 and C3A cells, all compounds induced double-strand DNA
breaks and micronuclei formation, which were blocked/significantly
attenuated by 1-aminobenzotriazole (CYP inhibitor) or 7-hydroxyflavone
(selective CYP1A1 inhibitor). Coexposure of C3A cells to pentachlorophenol
(sulfotransferase 1 inhibitor) or ketoconazole (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase
1A inhibitor) potentiated micronuclei induction by each compound,
with thresholds lowered from 2.5–5.0 to 0.6–1.2 μM.
Immunofluorescence staining of centromere protein B with micronuclei
formed in C3A cells by each compound indicated pure clastogenic effects.
In conclusion, BPs are potently clastogenic in mammalian cells, which
require activation primarily by human CYP1A1 and are negatively modulated
by phase II metabolism.