A multiple end-point approach to evaluation of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of erythrosine (FD and C Red No. 3) in a V79 hepatocyte-mediated mutation assay

V79 Chinese hamster lung cells were used to evaluate in vitro the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of erythrosine (2', 4', 5', 7'-tetraiodofluorescein disodium salt; FD and C Red No. 3), a color additive used widely in foods, drugs and cosmetics. Erythrosine reduced colony size at 200 micrograms/ml and was lethal to 90% or more of the cells at 400 micrograms/ml. At dose levels of 100, 200 and 300 micrograms/ml of medium, erythrosine was non-mutagenic to V79 cells at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) and sodium, potassium ATPase (Na+, K+ -ATPase) gene loci and did not increase the frequency of sister-chromatid exchanges with or without rat hepatocyte-mediated activation. Erythrosine at 300 micrograms/ml, unlike lower dose levels, produced an increase in micronucleus frequency in the absence of hepatocytes. An erythrosine dose-related increase in the mitotic frequency was due to an increase in the number of first mitoses at the expense of later cell divisions. Hepatocytes moderated the effect of erythrosine treatment on micronucleus frequency, mitotic frequency and MII/MI ratio. These results demonstrate the advantage of a multiple end-point approach to the evaluation of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity within a single-assay system.