Methylated phenanthrenes are more potent than phenanthrene in a bioassay of human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling

摘要

Alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (APAHs) are abundant in petroleum, but data regarding their toxicological properties are limited. A survey of all monomethylated phenanthrene structures revealed that they were 2 times to 5 times more potent than phenanthrene for activation of human aryl hydrocarbon receptor in a yeast bioassay. Phenanthrenes with equatorial methyl groups had the greatest potency. The greater potency of the methylated phenanthrenes highlights the need for more toxicological data on APAHs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2363–2367.