A comparison of the genotoxicity of benzo[a]pyrene in four cell lines with differing metabolic capacity

•In vitro metabolic efficiency of Benzo[a]pyrene.•MCL-5 and HepG2 cell lines gave significant genotoxiity after 4 h and 24 h treatments.•CYP450 enzymes and mEH in gentotoxicity and mutagenicity.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a known genotoxin and carcinogen, yet its genotoxic response at low level exposure has not been determined. This study was conducted to examine the interplay of dose and metabolic capacity on genotoxicity of B[a]P. Investigating and better understanding the biological significance of low level chemical exposures will help improve human health risk assessments. The genotoxic and mutagenic effects of B[a]P were investigated using human cell lines (AHH-1, MCL-5, TK6 and HepG2) with differential expression of the CYP450 enzymes CYP1A1, 1B1 and1A2 involved in B[a]P metabolism. MCL-5 and HepG2 cells showed detectable basal expression and activity of CYP1A1, 1B1 and 1A2 than AHH-1 which only show CYP1A1 basal expression and activity. TK6 cells showed negligible expression levels of all three CYP450 enzymes. In vitro micronucleus and HPRT assays were conducted to determine the effect of B[a]P on chromosome damage and point mutation induction. After 24 h exposure, linear increases in micronucleus (MN) frequency were observed in all cell lines except TK6. After 4 h exposure, only the metabolically competent cell lines MCL-5 and HepG2 showed MN induction (with a threshold concentration at 25.5 μM from MCL-5 cells) indicating the importance of exposure time for genotoxicity. The HPRT assay also displayed linear increases in mutant frequency in MCL-5 cells, after 4 h and 24 h treatments. Mutation spectra analysis of MCL-5 and AHH-1 HPRT mutants revealed frequent B[a]P induced G to T transversion mutations (72% and 44% of induced mutations in MCL-5 and AHH-1 respectively). This study therefore demonstrates a key link between metabolic capability, B[a]P exposure time and genotoxicity.