Activation of 4-hydroxytamoxifen and the tamoxifen derivative metabolite E by uterine peroxidase to form DNA adducts: Comparison with DNA adducts formed in the uterus of Sprague-Dawley rats treated with tamoxifen

Daily intraperitoneal treatment of female Sprague-Dawley ratswith either 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg tamoxifen (TAM) for 1 weeks increasedthe level of peroxidase activity in the uterus 2- to 10-foldcompared to the control level. Using uterine extracts preparedfrom control and TAM treated animals, we investigated the activationof 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-HO-TAM) and (E, Z)-1, 2-dipheny-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-but-1-ene(cis/trans-metabolite E) to form DNA adducts. Activation of4-HO-TAM by uterine extracts prepared from either control orTAM-treated rats produced one major (a) and Two minor DNA (band c) adducts. A similar activation of cis/trans-metaboliteE produced two adducts (d and e). There was good correlationbetween levels of uterine peroxidase activity and levels ofDNA adducts formed by 4-HO-TAM and cis/trans-metabolite E. Activationof 4-HO-TAM and cis/trans-metabolite E with horseradish peroxidase(HRP) produced the same adducts as observed by activation withuterine extract Treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats with 5 and10 mg/kg for 7 days produced eleven DNA adducts in the liverwith no adducts detected in the uterus. However, treatment ofrats with 20 mg/kg of TAM for 7 days produced the same adductpattern in the liver and also one major adduct (1) in the uteruswith a relative adduct level of 6.4 ±4.1x10^–9.Tamoxifen-DNA adduct 1 detected both in the liver and in theuterus of treated rats was similar to adducts produced by activationof 4-HO-TAM with either uterine extract or HRP. The resultsof these studies suggest a general model whereby the tamoxifenmetabolite 4-HO-TAM is further activated in the uterus by peroxidaseenzymes to form DNA adducts.