Estrogen replacement therapy has been correlated with an increased risk of developing breastor endometrial cancer. 4-Hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN) is a catechol metabolite of equilenin whichis a minor component of the estrogen replacement formulation marketed under the name ofPremarin (Wyeth-Ayerst). Previously, we showed that 4-OHEN autoxidizes to quinoids whichcan consume reducing equivalents and molecular oxygen, are potent cytotoxins, and cause avariety of damage to DNA, including formation of bulky stable adducts, apurinic sites, andoxidation of the phosphate-sugar backbone and purine/pyrimidine bases [Bolton, J. L., Pisha,E., Zhang, F., and Qiu, S. (1998)
Chem. Res. Toxicol. 11, 1113-1127]. All of these deleteriouseffects could contribute to the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of equilenin in vivo. In the studypresented here, we examined the relative toxicity of 4-OHEN in estrogen receptor (ER) positive
cells (MCF-7 and S30) compared to that in breast cancer
cells without the estrogen receptor(MDA-MB-231). The data showed that 4-OHEN was 4-fold more toxic to MCF-7
cells (LC
50 =6.0 ± 0.2
M) and 6-fold more toxic to S30
cells (LC
50 = 4.0 ± 0.1
M) than to MDA-MB-231
cells (LC
50 = 24 ± 0.3
M). Using the single-
cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) toassess DNA damage, we found that 4-OHEN causes concentration-dependent DNA single-strand cleavage in all three
cell lines, and this effect could be enhanced by agents which catalyzeredox cycling (NADH) or deplete
cellular GSH (diethyl maleate). In addition, the ER
+ cell lines(MCF-7 and S30) were considerably more sensitive to induction of DNA damage by 4-OHENthan the ER
- cells (MDA-MB-231). 4-OHEN also caused a concentration-dependent increasein the amount of mutagenic lesion 8-oxo-dG in the S30
cells as determined by LC/MS-MS.Cell morphology assays showed that 4-OHEN induces apoptosis in these
cell lines. As observedwith the toxicity assay and the comet assay, the ER
+ cells were more sensitive to induction ofapoptosis by 4-OHEN than MDA-MB-231
cells. Finally, the endogenous catechol estrogenmetabolite 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OHE) was considerably less effective at inducing DNA damageand apoptosis in breast cancer
cell lines than 4-OHEN. Our data suggest that the cytotoxiceffects of 4-OHEN may be related to its ability to induce DNA damage and apoptosis in hormonesensitive
cells in vivo, and these effects may be potentiated by the estrogen receptor.