Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants, and some are potent carcinogens in rodents. Carcinogenic PAHs are activated in the cells to metabolites that react with DNA to form covalent adducts. For most PAHs the reactive, electrophilic species which bind to DNA, are bay-region diol-epoxides. Application of 32-postlabeling to PAH-DNA adducts analysis revealed that for some PAHs the adduct profiles generated in model systems are more complex and include adducts which are more polar than those formed by classic bay-region diol-epoxides. This minireview summaries the information gained on typical representatives of polar PAH-DNA adducts. Formation of triol-epoxide-DNA adducts was proposed for chrysene and a non-alterant PAH, benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F). 5-OH-B[b]F, the precursor of B[b]F triol-epoxide, was found to be a potent tumor initiator in mouse skin. For planar PAHs such as dibenzanthracenes the possibility of bis-diol epoxide-DNA adducts formation was suggested. The most comprehensive data were obtained for dibenz[a,j]anthracene (DB[a,j]A). This hydrocarbon when applied to SENCAR mouse skin forms up to 23 species of adducts, most of which are polar. Among these polar adducts seven were identified as derived from DB[a,j]A-3,4-10,11-bis-diol. Analysis of tumor-initiating activity showed, however, that this proximate metabolite was inactive in this respect. In contrast, an excellent correlation was observed between levels of less polar DNA adducts (i.e. those derived from bay-region diol-epoxides) and skin tumor initiating activity of DB[a,j]A. Thus, while triol-epoxides seems to be involved in tumor initiating activity of the parent compound, non alterant B[b]F, the significance of bis-diol epoxide-DNA adducts, at least those derived from DB[a,j]A, is minor.
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