oxepins and benzene-oxide

One or more of the muconaldehyde isomers is a putative product of benzene metabolism. As muconaldehydes are highly reactive dienals and potentially mutagenic they might be relevant to the carcinogenicity of benzene. Muconaldehydes may be derived through the action of a cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase on benzene oxide-oxepin, which are established metabolites of benzene. Oxidation of benzene oxide-oxepin either by the one-electron oxidant cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) or by iron(III) tris(1,10-phenanthroline) hexafluorophosphate in acetone at -78 degrees C or acetonitrile at -40 degrees C gave (E,Z)-muconaldehyde, which was a single diastereoisomer according to analysis by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Reaction of toluene-1,2-oxide/2-methyloxepin with CAN gave (2E,4Z)-6-oxo-hepta-2,4-dienal. Similarly, the action of CAN on 1,6-dimethylbenzene oxide-2,7-dimethyloxepin gave (3Z,5E)-octa-3,5-diene-2,7-dione. In vivo, benzene oxide-oxepin could suffer one-electron oxidation by cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase giving (E,Z)-muconaldehyde. The observations presented may be relevant to the toxicology of benzene oxide-oxepin and other arene oxide-oxepins as we have previously shown that (E,Z)-muconaldehyde, analogously to (Z,Z)-muconaldehyde, affords pyrrole adducts with the exocyclic amino groups of the DNA bases adenine and guanine. Independent of their possible toxicological significance, the experiments described provide preparatively useful routes to (E,Z)-muconaldehyde and its congeners. Methods are also described for the trapping and analysis of reactive benzene metabolites, e.g. using the Diels-Alder reaction with the dienophile 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione to trap arene oxides and with the diene 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran to trap enals.

Topics: Aldehydes; Benzene; Cyclohexanes; Models, Biological; Oxepins; Oxidation-Reduction

A series of twelve benzoate esters was metabolised, by species of the Phellinus genus of wood-rotting fungi, to yield the corresponding benzyl alcohol derivatives and eight salicylates. The isolation of a stable oxepine metabolite, from methyl benzoate, allied to evidence of the migration and retention of a carbomethoxy group (the NIH Shift), during enzyme-catalysed ortho-hydroxylation of alkyl benzoates to form salicylates, is consistent with a mechanism involving an initial arene epoxidation step. This mechanism was confirmed by the isolation of a remarkably stable, optically active, substituted benzene oxide metabolite of methyl 2-(trifluoromethyl)benzoate, which slowly converted into the racemic form. The arene oxide was found to undergo a cycloaddition reaction with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione to yield a crystalline cycloadduct whose structure and racemic nature was established by X-ray crystallography. The metabolite was also found to undergo some novel benzene oxide reactions, including epoxidation to give an anti-diepoxide, base-catalysed hydrolysis to form a trans-dihydrodiol and acid-catalysed aromatisation to yield a salicylate derivative via the NIH Shift of a carbomethoxy group.

Topics: Benzoates; Catalysis; Crystallography, X-Ray; Cyclization; Cyclohexanes; Hydrolysis; Molecular Structure; Oxepins; Stereoisomerism; Triazoles

Oxidation of 7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4-diene (benzene oxide)/oxepin with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) gave mainly (Z,Z)-muconaldehyde, with complete diastereoselectivity. Similarly, 2-methyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4-diene (toluene 1,2-epoxide)/2-methyloxepin gave (Z,Z)-1,6-dioxohepta-2,4-diene, while 2,6-dimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4-diene (1,2-dimethylbenzene 1,2-epoxide)/2,7-dimethyloxepin gave (Z,Z)-2,7-dioxo-3,5-octadiene. By monitoring the DMDO oxidation of benzene oxide/oxepin by 1H NMR spectroscopy, a significant byproduct was identified as 4,8-dioxabicyclo[5.1.0]octa-2,5-diene (sym-oxepin oxide). This observation supports the hypothesis that the route to (Z,Z)-muconaldehyde proceeds from oxepin via 6,8-dioxabicyclo[5.1.0]octa-2,4-diene (oxepin 2,3-oxide), with a minor pathway leading to sym-oxepin oxide. The DMDO oxidations described provide model systems for the cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of benzene and for the atmospheric photooxidation of benzenoid hydrocarbons.

Topics: Aldehydes; Animals; Benzene; Cyclohexanes; Epoxy Compounds; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mice; Microsomes, Liver; Models, Chemical; Oxepins; Oxidation-Reduction; Photochemistry

A series of putative metabolites and related analogs of benzene, derived from the valence tautomers benzene oxide and oxepin, was tested for mutagenicity (reversions to histidine prototrophy and forward mutations to resistance to 8-azaguanine) and for cytotoxicity by the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test. Benzene was not mutagenic in either assay. The benzene oxide-oxepin system and benzene dihydrodiol induced point mutations but not frameshifts. 4,5-sym-Oxepin oxide, which is a putative metabolite of the oxepin valence tautomer; 3,6-diazo-cyclohexane-1,6-3,4-dioxide, a synthetic precursor of sym-oxepin oxide; and transoid-4,11-dioxatricyclo(5.1 0)undeca-1,6-diene, a stable bridge-head diene analog of sym-oxepin oxide, were toxic but not mutagenic in both assays. 4H-Pyran-4-carboxaldehyde, a stable acid catalyzed rearrangement product of sym-oxepin oxide, was not mutagenic and much less cytotoxic than sym-oxepin oxide. Stable analogs of the valence tautomer benzene oxide, namely syn-indan-3a,7a-oxide and syn-2-hydroxyindan-3a,7a-oxide, were mutagenic and induced point mutations. All compounds were cytotoxic to Salmonella. Firstly, the apparent decay times of these chemicals, especially that of sym-oxepin oxide, were surprisingly longer than expected, as judged by quantitative plate diffusion assays. Secondly, it is concluded that if benzene oxide is further metabolized in its oxepin tautomeric form, toxic but not mutagenic products are formed. Thirdly, the relatively weak mutagenicity of benzene oxide may be mainly due to its instability and corresponding low probability to reach intracellular polynucleotide targets, whereas stable analogs of benzene oxide are relatively more potent mutagens.

Topics: Benzene Derivatives; Cyclohexanes; Mutagenicity Tests; Oxepins; Structure-Activity Relationship