C. Bjorge et al., DNA STRAND BREAKS IN TESTICULAR CELLS FROM HUMANS AND RATS FOLLOWING IN-VITRO EXPOSURE TO 1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE (DBCP), Reproductive toxicology, 10(1), 1996, pp. 51-59
Preparations of testicular cells from human organ transplant donors an
d from Wistar rats were compared with respect to their composition of
the different testicular cell types, their ability to metabolize 1,2-d
ibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), and their relative sensitivity to induc
tion of DNA single strand breaks and alkali labile sites (ssDNA breaks
) after treatment with DBCP, 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (4-NQO), and x r
ays. Flow cytometric and microscopic analysis demonstrated that the in
terindividual variation in the composition of testicular cell types wa
s considerably greater in the human tissue than in that from rats. The
in vitro metabolic activation of DBCP (50 to 250 mu M), measured as r
adiolabel covalently bound to macromolecules, was three-fold faster in
rat testicular cells compared to human testicular cells. X rays (1 to
10 Gy) and 4-NQO (0.5 to 2.5 mu M) induced ssDNA breaks to a similar
extent in both human and rat testicular cells as measured by single ce
ll gel electrophoresis (SCGE) and alkaline filter elution. In contrast
, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) (3 to 300 I-IM) caused no signifi
cant DNA damage in human testicular cells, whereas in rats there was a
clear concentration-dependent increase in ssDNA breaks. The data show
that, compared to rats, testicular cells from humans are less efficie
nt in activating DBCP to metabolites binding covalently to macromolecu
les. However, from the rate of covalent binding observed one would exp
ect a significant degree of DBCP-induced ssDNA breaks in the human tes
ticular cells. The low level of DBCP-induced ssDNA breaks in human tes
ticular cells could indicate that different reactive DBCP metabolites
are involved in binding to cellular macromolecules compared to DNA dam
age, or that different rates of DNA repair exist in human and rat test
icular cells.