Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-induced Pulmonary Carcinogenesis in Cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A1- and 1A2-Null Mice: Roles of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2

In 2019, lung cancer was estimated to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in humans. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to increase the risk of lung cancer. PAHs are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A subfamily, comprised of the CYP1A1 and 1A2 monooxygenases. These enzymes bioactivate PAHs into reactive metabolites that induce mutagenic DNA adducts, which can lead to cancer. Past studies have investigated the role of CYP1A1 in PAH bioactivation; however, the individual roles of each CYP1A enzyme are still unknown. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that mice lacking the genes for Cyp1a1 or Cyp1a2 will display altered susceptibilities to PAH-induced pulmonary carcinogenesis. Wild-type, Cyp1a1-null (Cyp1a1−/−), and Cyp1a2-null (Cyp1a2−/−) male and female mice were treated with 3-methylcholanthrene for cancer initiation and tumor formation studies. In wild-type mice, CYP1A1 and 1A2 expression was induced by 3-methylcholanthrene. Cyp1a1−/− and Cyp1a2−/− mice treated with PAHs displayed a compensatory pattern, where knocking out 1 Cyp1a gene led to increased expression of the other. Cyp1a1−/− mice were resistant to DNA adduct and tumor formation, whereas Cyp1a2−/− mice displayed increased levels of both. UALCAN analysis revealed that lung adenocarcinoma patients with high levels of CYP1A2 expression survive significantly better than patients with low/medium expression. In conclusion, Cyp1a1−/− mice were less susceptible to PAH-induced pulmonary carcinogenesis, whereas Cyp1a2−/− mice were more susceptible. In addition, high CYP1A2 expression was found to be protective for lung adenocarcinoma patients. These results support the need to develop novel CYP1A1 inhibitors to mitigate human lung cancer.