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Abstract Background Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during childhood and in utero exposure to maternal smoking are associated with adverse effects on lung growth and development. Methods A study was undertaken of the associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy, exposure to ETS, and pulmonary function in 3357 school children residing in 12 Southern California communities. Current and past exposure to household ETS and exposure to maternal smoking in utero were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire completed by parents of 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students in 1993. Standard linear regression techniques were used to estimate the effects of in utero and ETS exposure on lung function, adjusting for age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, height, weight, asthma, personal smoking, and selected household characteristics. Results In utero exposure to maternal smoking was associated with reduced peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (−3.0%, 95% CI −4.4 to −1.4), mean mid expiratory flow (MMEF) (−4.6%, 95% CI −7.0 to −2.3), and forced expiratory flow (FEF₇₅) (−6.2%, 95% CI −9.1 to −3.1), but not forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁). Adjusting for household ETS exposure did not substantially change these estimates. The reductions in flows associated with in utero exposure did not significantly vary with sex, race, grade, income, parental education, or personal smoking. Exposure to two or more current household smokers was associated with reduced MMEF (−4.1%, 95% CI −7.6 to −0.4) and FEF₇₅ (−4.4%, 95% CI −9.0 to 0.4). Current or past maternal smoking was associated with reductions in PEFR and MMEF; however, after adjustment for in utero exposure, deficits in MMEF and FEF₇₅ associated with all measurements of ETS were substantially reduced and were not statistically significant. Conclusions In utero exposure to maternal smoking is independently associated with decreased lung function in children of school age, especially for small airway flows.

Acrolein, a genotoxic aldehyde released in the metabolic activation of the cytostatic drug cyclophosphamide, is inactivated by glutathione transferases either by conjugation with reduced glutathione or by covalent binding to the enzymes in the absence of glutathione. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) with acrolein as a substrate was determined for representatives of the three classes Alpha, Mu, and Pi of human glutathione transferases. Transferase pi exhibited the highest and transferase epsilon the lowest catalytic efficiencies, respectively. As measured by the kcat/Km value, acrolein ranks among the most active substrates known for transferase pi. The irreversible binding of acrolein to the enzymes was monitored as the inactivation of the enzyme activity. Transferase pi reacted significantly more rapidly with acrolein than did transferases mu and epsilon.

Radiation and chemical reactions that give rise to free radicals cause the formation of highly cytotoxic base propenals, degradation products of DNA. Human glutathione transferases (GSTs; RX:glutathione R-transferase, EC 2.5.1.18) of classes Alpha, Mu, and Pi were shown to promote the conjugation of glutathione with base propenals and related alkenes. GST P1-1 was particularly active in catalyzing the reactions with the propenal derivatives, and adenine propenal was the substrate giving the highest activity. The catalytic efficiency of GST P1-1 with adenine propenal (kcat/Km = 7.7 x 10(5) M-1.s-1) is the highest so far reported with any substrate for this enzyme. In general, GST A1-1 and GST M1-1, in contrast to GST P1-1, were more active with 4-hydroxyalkenals (products of lipid peroxidation) than with base propenals. The adduct resulting from the Michael addition of glutathione to the alkene function of one of the base propenals (adenine propenal) was identified by mass spectrometry. At the cellular level, GST P1-1 was shown to provide protection against alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes. GST P1-1 added to the culture medium of HeLa cells augmented the protective effect of glutathione against the toxicity of adenine propenal and thymine propenal. No protective effect of the enzyme was observed in the presence of the competitive inhibitor S-hexylglutathione. GST P1-1 introduced into Hep G2 cells by electroporation was similarly found to increase their resistance to acrolein. The results show that glutathione transferases may play an important role in cellular detoxication of electrophilic alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds produced by radical reactions, lipid peroxidation, ionizing radiation, and drug metabolism.

We previously showed that 6-trans isomers of leukotriene B4 but not leukotriene B4 itself are converted to dihydro metabolites by human neutrophils. The first step in the formation of these metabolites is oxidation of the 5-hydroxyl group by 5-hydroxyeicosanoid dehydrogenase. The objective of the present investigation was to characterize the second step in the formation of the dihydro metabolites, reduction of an olefinic double bond. We found that the olefin reductase reduces the 6,7-double bond of 5-oxoeicosanoids, is localized in the cytosolic fraction of neutrophils, and requires NADPH as a cofactor. Neutrophil cytosol converts a variety of both 5-oxo- and 15-oxoeicosanoids to dihydro products. However, conversion of 5-oxoeicosanoids to their 6,7-dihydro metabolites is inhibited by EGTA and a calmodulin antagonist and stimulated by the addition of calcium and calmodulin, whereas the reduction of 15-oxoeicosanoids to their 13,14-dihydro metabolites is slightly inhibited by calcium. Furthermore, eicosanoid Delta6- and Delta13-reductases could be separated by chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose. 5-Oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-ETE) is converted by the Delta6-reductase to 6,7-dihydro-5-oxo-ETE, which is 1000 times less potent than 5-oxo-ETE in mobilizing calcium in neutrophils. We conclude that neutrophils contain both 5-oxoeicosanoid Delta6-reductase and prostaglandin Delta13-reductase. Metabolism of 5-oxo-ETE by the Delta6-reductase results in loss of its biological activity.

The potential estrogenic activities of atrazine and simazine were investigated in vivo using the immature female Sprague-Dawley rat uterus and in vitro using the estrogen-responsive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line and the estrogen-dependent recombinant yeast strain PL3. Animals that were dosed with 50, 150, or 300 mg/kg of atrazine or simazine alone for 3 consecutive days did not exhibit any significant increases in uterine wet weight while decreases in cytosolic progesterone receptor (PR) binding levels and uterine peroxidase activity were observed. 17β-estradiol (E2)-induced increases in uterine wet weight were not significantly affected by cotreatment with either chemical; however, some doseindependent decreases in E2-induced cytosolic PR binding and uterine peroxidase activity were observed. In vitro, atrazine and simazine did not affect basal or E2-induced MCF-7 cell proliferation or the formation of nuclear PR-DNA complexes as determined by gel electrophoretic mobility shift assays. In addition, these chloro-S-triazines did not display agonist activity or antagonize E2-induced luciferase activity in MCF-7 cells transiently transfected with a Gal4-human estrogen receptor chimera (Gal4- HEGO) and a Gal4-regulated luciferase reporter gene (17m5-G-Luc). Moreover, the estrogen-dependent PL3 yeast strain was not capable of growth on minimal media supplemented with atrazine or simazine in place of E2. Collectively, these results indicate that the reported estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects elicited by these chemicals are not mediated by the estrogen receptor.