Mechanism of Action:
Covalent interaction of a benzene metabolite with dna was shown in vivo, but no information was given about the chem nature of this metabolite. A likely intermediate in benzene metabolism is benzene oxide. In neutral aq media it rearranges only slowly to the phenol so that its lifetime could be long enough for diffusion from the site of activation to the dna. Alternatively, the metabolic appearance of polyhydroxy derivatives suggests the formation of a phenol epoxide, so that the reactive molecule could be a secondary metabolite.