The expressions of protooncogenes and CYP1A in lungs of rats exposed to sulfur dioxide and benzo(a)pyrene

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a ubiquitous air pollutant, present in low concentrations in the urban air, and in higher concentrations in the working environment. Benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant with diverse toxicological effects. To investigate the interactions between SO2 and B(a)P, male Wistar rats were exposed to intratracheally instilled with benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P; 3 mg) or SO2 (20 ppm) inhalation alone or together. The mRNA of CYP1A1 and 1A2, c-fos, and c-jun and protein levels of c-fos and c-jun were analyzed in lungs using a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) assay and Western blot analysis, respectively. And 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and methoxyresorufin O-demethylase (MROD) activities were detected. In lungs of rats exposed to SO2 alone, the gene transcription of CYP1A1 and 1A2, the EROD and MROD activities were decreased. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein levels of c-jun and c-fos were increased significantly. Exposure to B(a)P alone induced CYP1A1, CYP1A2 mRNA levels, the protein levels of c-jun, and the EROD and MROD activities in lungs. However, exposure to B(a)P plus inhaled SO2 neither increased nor decreased CYP1A1/2 mRNA expressions, EROD, and MROD activities in lungs, versus exposure to B(a)P alone. Nevertheless, exposure to B(a)P plus inhaled SO2 increased the mRNA and protein levels of c-jun and c-fos in lungs compared with lungs exposed to SO2 alone. Accordingly, the SO2-induced decreases of CYP1A1/2 might not influence the metabolic activation of B(a)P. However, when B(a)P and SO2 were given in the combinations, one might postulate that a synergistic effect on the expressions of c-fos and c-jun between SO2 and B(a)P, which might be one of the possible mechanisms of combination effects between B(a)P and the air pollutants.