Isotope effect on the carcinogenicity of 3-methylcholanthrene in mouse skin by selective deuteration of the 1-methylene group: biological evidence for a mechanism of tumor initiation

Abstract

3-Methylcholanthrene (MC) in chloroform and trifluoroacetic acid-d1 yielded 3-methylcholanthrene-d4 (MC-d4), a compound selectively deuterated at the 1-, 5-, and 6-carbon atoms. In turn, the protodedeuteration of the labeled hydrocarbon at the 6-carbon atom led to 3-methylcholanthrene-d3 (MC-d3). A comparative test for carcinogenicity between MC and MC-d3 by repeated skin painting on female Swiss mice showed a significantly lower tumorigenic activity of the latter. The result implies that the 1-carbon atom of the hydrocarbon is a critical binding-site to cellular targets in the tumor-initiating process.