Probing the Role of CYP2 Enzymes in the Atropselective Metabolism of Polychlorinated Biphenyls Using Liver Microsomes from Transgenic Mouse Models

Chiral polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are environmentally relevant developmental neurotoxicants. Because their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs) are also neurotoxic, it is necessary to determine how PCB metabolism affects the developing brain, for example, in mouse models. Because the cytochrome P450 isoforms involved in the metabolism of chiral PCBs remain unexplored, we investigated the metabolism of PCB 91 (2,2′,3,4′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl), PCB 95 (2,2′,3,5′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl), PCB 132 (2,2′,3,3′,4,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl), and PCB 136 (2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl) using liver microsomes from male and female Cyp2a­(4/5)­bgs-null, Cyp2f2-null, and wild-type mice. Microsomes, pooled by sex, were incubated with 50 μM PCB for 30 min, and the levels and enantiomeric fractions of the OH-PCBs were determined gas chromatographically. All four PCB congeners appear to be atropselectively metabolized by CYP2A­(4/5)­BGS and CYP2F2 enzymes in a congener- and sex-dependent manner. The OH-PCB metabolite profiles of PCB 91 and PCB 132, PCB congeners with one para-chlorine substituent, differed between null and wild-type mice. No differences in the metabolite profiles were observed for PCB 95 and PCB 136, PCB congeners without a para-chlorine group. These findings suggest that Cyp2a­(4/5)­bgs-null and Cyp2f2-null mice can be used to study how a loss of a specific metabolic function (e.g., deletion of Cyp2a­(4/5)­bgs or Cyp2f2) affects the toxicity of chiral PCB congeners.