Induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in human peripheral blood lymphocytes by chrysene

Many of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), benzanthracene (BA), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC)) are not only carcinogenic, but also induce AHH in human tissues. Recently, chrysene has been implicated as an etiologic determinant of chemical carcinogenesis. Here we describe the ability of chrysene to induce AHH in cultured human lymphocytes. Lymphocytes were obtained from 9 healthy subjects, divided into 2 sets, and cultured in duplicate, triplicate, or quadruplicate for 48 h. Chrysene (25 μM final concentration) in acetone was then added to the induced culture set and the control set received acetone alone. Lymphocytes were then cultured an additional 24 h before harvesting. AHH was quantitated by a fluorometric analysis of the phenolic metabolites produced by incubating the lymphocytes with B[a]P for 35 min. A significant increase in enzyme induction occurred in the chrysene-induced cultures compared with control (non-induced) cells (one-tailed student t-test; P < 0.001). It was also observed that the interindividual variation in AHH inducibility seen with other PAHs is also observed with chrysene.