Inhibition of the hepatic O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase in vivo by pretreatment with antineoplastic agents

The mammalian DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AT) is inactivated during the repair process and its activity can only be restored by de novo synthesis. We have made use of this property to determine whether and to what extent various chemotherapeutic agents alkylate DNA in the O6-position of guanine, ie. produce lesions susceptible to AT repair. Adult female Fischer rats received a single i.p. injection of a high dose (LD50) of the respective agent and, 5 hr later, a chasing dose of N-nitroso-14C]dimethylamine (0.2 mg/kg; 4 hr survival). The amount of 7-14C]methylguanine formed was approximately 95 mumol/mol guanine and not significantly altered by pretreatment with any of the drugs. The ratio of O6-14C]methylguanine/7-14C]methylguanine was 0.019 for control animals, indicating that during the observation period of 4 hr, 83% of the O6-14C]methylguanine produced had been removed by the hepatic AT. Little or no effect was found in rats that received spirohydantoin mustard, hexamethylmelamine, cis-platinum or mitomycin C. A significant increase in the O6-/7-14C]methylguanine ratio was found after pretreatment with AZQ (0.026) and cyclophosphamide (0.028), agents for which lesions involving the O6-position of guanine have not yet been identified. N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-N-nitrosourea and the cytostatic haloethylinitrosoureas, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(2,6-dioxo-3-piperidyl)-1-nitrosourea (PCNU), and N-chloroethyl-N-hydroxyethylnitrosourea (HECNU) inhibited the hepatic AT, producing a ratio of 0.025-0.035. Considerably higher ratios of 0.059 and 0.101 were observed after administration of the methylating agents procarbazine and 5-(3,3-dimethyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide (DTIC), respectively. Complete saturation of the repair system (O6-/7-14C]methylguanine ratio, 0.11) was only achieved with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.