Dose-Related Mutagenic and Clastogenic Effects of Benzo[b]fluoranthene in Mouse Somatic Tissues Detected by Duplex Sequencing and the Micronucleus Assay

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common environmental pollutants that originate from the incomplete combustion of organic materials. We investigated the clastogenicity and mutagenicity of benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), one of 16 priority PAHs, in MutaMouse males after a 28 day oral exposure. BbF causes robust dose-dependent increases in micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood, indicative of chromosome damage. Duplex sequencing (DS), an error-corrected sequencing technology, reveals that BbF induces dose-dependent increases in mutation frequencies in bone marrow (BM) and liver. Mutagenicity is increased in intergenic relative to genic regions, suggesting a role for transcription-coupled repair of BbF-induced DNA damage. At higher doses, the maximum mutagenic response to BbF is higher in liver, which has a lower mitotic index but higher metabolic capacity than BM; however, mutagenic potency is comparable between the two tissues. BbF induces primarily C:G > A:T mutations, followed by C:G > T:A and C:G > G:C, indicating that BbF metabolites mainly target guanines and cytosines. The mutation spectrum of BbF correlates with cancer mutational signatures associated with tobacco exposure, supporting its contribution to the carcinogenicity of combustion-derived PAHs in humans. Overall, BbF’s mutagenic effects are similar to benzo[a]pyrene, a well-studied mutagenic PAH. Our work showcases the utility of DS for effective mutagenicity assessment of environmental pollutants.

We used Duplex Sequencing to study the mutagenicity of benzo[b]fluoranthene across the mouse genome. Dose-dependent changes in mutation frequency and spectrum quantify its role in PAH-induced carcinogenicity.