Mutagenicity testing of benomyl, methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate, streptozotocin and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in Salmonella typhimurium in vitro and in rodent host-mediated assays.

The fungicide benomyl and its commercial preparations Fundazol 50WP and Benlate 50WP and the benomyl metabolite methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate and its commercial preparation MBC 50WP were tested for mutagenicity in in vitro spot tests, in microsomal plate assay, in liquid-culture treatments, or in rodent host-mediated assay. The base-pair substitution Salmonella typhimurium mutant hisG46 and the hisG46-bearing uvrB excision-repair-deficient mutants TA100, TA1530, TA1535 or TA1950 were used as test organisms. Complete genotypic information of these mutants is given in Ames et al. [2]. Captain 50WP, streptozotocin (SZN), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), 2-aminopurine and N-acetylaminofluorene were used as positive control compounds. In nonoverlay spot tests Benlate 50WP was not mutagenic over a dose range of 50-5000 microgram/spot in hisG46 and TA1535. In overlay spot tests 50 or 100 microgram/spot Benomyl, MBC, Fundazol 50WP, Benlate 50WP and MBC 50WP were tested in hisG46, TA1530 or TA1950. Only a non-commercial MBC sample at 100 microgram/spot showed weak mutagenic activity in hisG46. In microsomal activation plate assay MBC, benomyl, Fundazol 50WP and Benlate 50WP were tested in TA100 over a dose range of 50-2000 microgram/plate. None of the compounds showed mutagenicity. In a 20-h liquid-culture treatment 10, 100, 1000 and 10 000 microgram/ml Fundazol 50WP were not mutagenic in TA 30. In 1-h liquid-culture treatments benomyl, Benlate 50WP or Fundazol 50WP failed to induce mutations in hisG46, TA100 or TA1950 over a dose range of 0.25-1000 microgram/ml. Appropriate positive controls were mutagenic in each experiment. The consistently negative results in this study with commercial MBC and benomyl preparations are contrary to positive results reported earlier with similar methods and similar commercial preparations. Possible reasons to explain the different results are presented. The alkylating agents SZN and MNNG induced fewer mutations in TA1530 and TA1950 uvrB excision-repair-deficient strains than in the hisG46 excision-proficient strain, indicating that with these mutagens excision-repair is also a mutation-prone process. In rodent host-mediated assays with Fundazol 50WP in mice 3 consecutive subcutaneous hourly doses of 500 mg/kg in hisG46 and TA1950 and in rats or mice an oral dose of 4000 mg/kg in TA1950 were not mutagenic. The positive control SZN was mutagenic.     

Fluroxene mutagenicity.

The commercially available volatile anesthetic fluroxene (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl vinyl ether) which contains the stabilizer N-phenyl-1-napthylamine, was tested for mutagenicity using four strains of S. typhimurium, TA1535, TA1537, TA98 and TA100, and one strain of E. coli, WP2. In addition, purified fluroxene; N-phenyl-1-napthylamine; trifluoroethanol, a major metabolite of fluoroxene; and urine from rats anesthetized with fluroxene were tested. Several procedures were utilized including exposure of bacteria to vapor in desiccators and in liquid suspension. Results indicate that fluroxene, but not its stabilizer, was mutagenic to strains TA1535, TA100 and WP2 only in liquid suspension and only in the presence of a rat-liver enzyme system. Trifluoroethanol and urine from fluroxene-treated rat were not mutagenic to any strain of bacteria. These findings indicate that fluroxene is a promutagen which requires preincubation before it is recognized. Further experiments were performed with enzymes prepared from mouse, hamster and human liver. Fluroxene was mutagenic only in the presence of enzymes prepared from Aroclor 1254 pretreated rodents. Since fluroxene was not mutagenic in the presence of enzymes prepared from three human livers, the significance of these findings to man are unclear.     

Synthesis and mutagenicity of the two stereoisomers of an azide metabolite (azidoalanine)

The L- and D-isomers of azidoalanine (azide metabolite) have been chemically synthesized with 60% yield using corresponding N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-serine as starting materials. The mutagenic properties of synthesized L-azidoalanine are very similar to those of azide and in vivo synthesized azidoalanine. Synthetic D-azidoalanine shows very low mutagenic activity on Salmonella typhimurium TA1530 strain compared to that of the L-isomer. Thus a stereoselective process is involved in azidoalanine mutagenicity. The data presented in this study suggest that further biochemical activation is required for L-azidoalanine to produce its mutagenic activity.     

A 50 Hz, 14 mT magnetic field is not mutagenic or co-mutagenic in bacterial mutation assays

We used bacterial mutation assays to assess the mutagenic and co-mutagenic effects of power frequency magnetic fields (MF). For the former, we exposed four strains of Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537) and two strains of Escherichia coli (WP2 uvrA, WP2 uvrA/pKM101) to 50Hz, 14mT circularly polarized MF for 48h. All results were negative. For the latter, we treated S. typhimurium (TA98, TA100) and E. coli (WP2 uvrA, WP2 uvrA/pKM101) cells with eight model mutagens (N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl) acrylamide, 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide, 2-aminoanthracene, N(4)-aminocytidine, t-butyl hydroperoxide, cumen hydroperoxide, and acridine orange) with and without the MF. The MF induced no significant, reproducible enhancement of mutagenicity. We also investigated the effect of MF on mutagenicity and co-mutagenicity of fluorescent light (ca. 900lx for 30min) with and without acridine orange on the most sensitive tester strain, E. coli WP2 uvrA/pKM101. Again, we observed no significant difference between the mutation rates induced with and without MF. Thus, a 50Hz, 14mT circularly polarized MF had no detectable mutagenic or co-mutagenic potential in bacterial tester strains under our experimental conditions. Nevertheless, some evidence supporting a mutagenic effect for power frequency MFs does exist; we discuss the potential mechanisms of such an effect in light of the present study and studies done by others.     

Methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) is clearly mutagenic in S. typhimurium strain TA1535; a comparison with strain TA100

No mutagenicity or an uncertain mutagenic response has been reported in the literature for methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) in S. typhimurium strain TA1535 when using the plate assay. In our studies we found a reproducible mutagenic activity of 62 revertants/mumole and plate for MMS in strain TA1535 when using the preincubation assay. A dose-dependent increase in revertants was, however, observed only at fairly high doses (exceeding 4 mumole). Two different slopes were observed in the dose-response curve when testing MMS with strain TA100. Slope A is dependent on the error-prone response, possible only in strain TA100 due to the pKm101 plasmid (R factor) but not possible in strain TA1535 due to its umuDC deficiency. Slope B observed at higher doses (as in strain TA1535) could be explained through a GC----AT transition initiated by the O6-methylation of guanine. Our findings demonstrate that MMS induces back mutation in S. typhimurium strains carrying the hisG46 missense mutation due to the formation of O6-methylguanine. In the case of strain TA100 the pKm101 plasmid-mediated error-prone mechanism is, however, the predominant process in MMS mutagenesis which leads to a higher mutagenic response at much lower doses than the GT----AT transition in strain TA1535.     

In vivo conversion of sodium azide to a stable mutagenic metabolite in Salmonella typhimurium.

Salmonella typhimurium TA1530 and G46 strains growing in minimal medium supplemented with sodium azide produce a stable mutagenic metabolite which is not azide. The production of this metabolite is restricted to the log phase of bacteria grown in the presence of azide. The metabolite is highly mutagenic in DNA-repair defective base-substitution strains TA1530 and TA1535, but ineffective in frameshift strains TA1538 and TA1537. The metabolite induces mutations in resting cells of the TA1530 strain.     

Mutagenicity studies on fenitrothion in bacteria and mammalian cells

The mutagenicity of fenitrothion was determined in strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. Fenitrothion was found to be non-mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium strains of TA98, TA1535 and TA1537 and in Escherichia coli WP2uvrA both with and without S9 mix, while weak mutagenicity was observed only in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and enhanced by the addition of S9 mix. The mutagenicity observed in the TA100 strain was not expressed in a nitroreductase-deficient strain, TA100 NR, and decreased in a transacetylase-deficient strain, TA100 1,8-DNP6. The mutagenicity of fenitrothion was also examined by a gene mutation assay using the gene for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hgprt) in V79 Chinese hamster lung cells. Fenitrothion did not induce any increment of 6-thioguanine-resistant mutant cells at doses ranging from 0.01 to 0.3 mM regardless of the presence or absence of S9 mix. These results suggest that reduction of fenitrothion by a bacterial nitroreductase of TA100 to an active form is essential for the expression of the mutagenicity of fenitrothion in TA100 and that a bacterial transacetylase of TA100 also has an important role in the process of mutagenic activation.     

Mutagenicity studies with N6, O2'-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (DBcAMP)

N6,O2'-Dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3,5-monophosphate (DBcAMP) was studied for mutagenicity using the rec assay, the Ames method, and in vitro cytogenetics. DBcAMP had no mutagenic effect on B. subtilis in the rec assay, or on S. typhimurium (TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98 and TA100) or E. coli (WP2 uvrA). In the cytogenetic study, a significant increase in chromosomal aberrations was observed at a concentration of 50,000 micrograms/ml, but it was considered that this effect could be attributed to the secondary effect of the high osmotic pressure in the culture medium. These results suggest that DBcAMP has no mutagenic potential.     

Structure-activity relationships of the azide metabolite, azidoalanine, in S. typhimurium

Azide is metabolized to the proximate mutagen, L-azidoalanine in bacterial systems. While this novel mutagenic metabolite plays a key role in azide mutagenesis, the biochemistry of this role is unknown. The chemical synthesis of authentic racemic azidoalanine and several derivatives thereof allowed the exploration of structure-activity relationships with this unique mutagen. We found that whereas azide, azidoalanine and azidoalanine tert.-butyl ester were of comparable mutagenic potency, derivatives which lack the free amino group, such as azidopropionic acid and amino-blocked azidoalanine, were orders of magnitude less active. These findings demonstrate that the free amino group is essential for significant activity, while the carboxyl group may be less important. This conclusion together with the finding that DL-azidoalanine is a less potent mutagen than azide itself, suggests that the metabolite, while necessary for azide mutagenicity, may not be the ultimate mutagenic species. Instead, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that azidoalanine requires further bioactivation.     

Mutagenicity of benzotrichloride and related compounds.

Benzotrichloride (BTC), benzal chloride (BDC), benzyl chloride (BC) and benzoyl chloride (BOC) were surveyed for their mutagenicity in microbial systems such as rec-assay using Bacillus subtilis and reversion assays using E. coli WP2 and Ames Salmonella TA strains with or without metabolic activation in vitro. BTC and BDC required metabolic activation for their mutagenic activities in several strains of E. coli and Salmonella. The mutagenic metabolites of these compounds may not have been produced by hydrolysis. BC was weakly mutagenic without metabolic activation. Only BOC exhibited no mutagenic activity in the detection procedures used. The mutagenic metabolite of BTC might be very unstable under our experimental conditions. The strain E. coli WP2 try hcr was more sensitive than E. coli B/r WP2 try (hcr+) with regard to the mutagenicity of BTC.     

Isolation of a mutant of Salmonella typhimurium strain TA1535 with decreased levels of glutathione (GSH-). Primary characterization and chemical mutagenesis studies

A mutant of Salmonella typhimurium strain TA1535 with decreased glutathione (GSH) levels was isolated after treatment with UV and selection for N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) resistance; this GSH- mutant also exhibited increased resistance to MNNG, the methyl analog of ENNG. Estimation of the cellular GSH content showed that the GSH- derivative contained about 20% of the GSH levels found in TA1535. In mutagenicity tests (hisG46 leads to His+), the GSH- strain required the presence of GSH or L-cysteine in the medium for an optimal phenotypic expression and/or growth of spontaneous and induced His+ revertants, and may, therefore, be allelic to cys mutants of Salmonella described earlier. The mutagenic activity of MNNG, ENNG and 1,2-dibromoethane (DBE), but not that of N-ethylnitrosourea (ENU), was strongly reduced in TA1535/GSH-; pretreatment of the strain with GSH restored the mutagenicity of the first 3 chemicals to levels normally found in TA1535. The results support the current view that MNNG, ENNG and DBE, but not ENU, can be activated via reaction with GSH to species of higher reactivity and mutagenicity. It is concluded that the present GSH- strain can be used to study more systematically the role of GSH in the bioactivation and -deactivation of xenobiotics to mutagenic factors.     

Enhancement of the mutagenicities of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea by glucose

The mutagenicity of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine to Salmonella typhimurium hisG46 was enhanced by pre-incubating the chemical with bacteria in sodium phosphate buffer. Addition of glucose (to 15 mM) to the pre-incubation mixture further enhanced the mutagenicity. Pre-incubation with glucose also increased the mutagenicity of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Fructose, galactose, pyruvate and succinate also enhanced the mutagenicity of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. The effect of glucose was observed with S. typhimurium strains hisG46, TA1975, TA1950, TA1535 and TA100.     

Genetic effects of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine, a product of ionizing radiation

Ionizing radiation causes formation of heterogeneous types of damage to DNA. Among those, 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU) was identified as a major thymidine derivative in gamma-irradiated HeLa cells [G.W. Teebor, K. Frenkel and M.S. Goldstein (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.), 81, 318-321]. We report here that HMdU is a strong inducer of lambda prophage in Escherichia coli WP2s(lambda) and is highy mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium. HMdU causes his+ revertants in strains TA100, which reverts predominantly by base-pair substitution at G-C sites, and TA97, which reverts mainly by frameshift mutation at G-C sites. It does not cause reversion in TA98, another frameshift-sensitive strain, nor in strains TA1535 and TA1537. Of those tested, only the last two strains do not contain pkM101, a plasmid which enhances mutagenic effects of ionizing radiation. HMdU also causes reversion in strains TA102 and TA104, which detect oxidative damage and can revert by base-pair substitution at A-T base pairs at the hisG428 site. We show that HMdU can be incorporated into DNA of TA100 and that, in addition to causing point mutations, it causes suppressor mutations as well. The ability of HMdU to induce lambda prophage and its strong mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium provide evidence that the presence of HMdU in DNA is biologically significant and may play a major role in the genetic consequences of ionizing radiation and other types of oxidative damage.     

Mutagenicity studies of human fibroblast interferon (HuIFN-beta)

Human fibroblast interferon (HuIFN-beta) was studied for mutagenicity using the Ames method and in vitro cytogenetics. HuIFN-beta had no mutagenic effect on S. typhimurium (TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98 and TA100) and E. coli (WP2 uvrA) at concentrations of 3, 30, 300, 3000, 30 000 or 300 000 IU/plate. In the cytogenetic study, HuIFN-beta had no clastogenic effect on human peripheral blood lymphocytes at concentrations of 3, 30, 300, 3000, or 30 000 IU/ml. These results suggest that HuIFN-beta has no mutagenic potential.     

Mutagenicity of native cigarette mainstream smoke and its gas/vapour phase by use of different tester strains and cigarettes in a modified Ames assay

The "Bacterial Reverse Mutation Assay" is generally accepted to analyse the genotoxic capacity of single compounds or complex mixtures such as cigarette-smoke condensates. With an adapted and modified Ames assay, the mutagenicity of native cigarette mainstream whole smoke (WS) and its gas/vapour phase (GVP) was studied. The bacteria were directly exposed to the smoke in a CULTEX1 system closely connected to a smoking robot (VC10). A variety of standard tester strains (TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA102, WP2uvrApKM101) and descendants of TA98 (YG1021, YG1024, YG1041) and TA100 (YG1026, YG1029 and YG1042) were exposed to whole and filtered smoke of the research cigarette K2R4F to find the most sensitive strains for analysing the mutagenic activity of these test atmospheres. Mutagenicity of WS was detected by TA98, TA100 and their YG descendant strains as well as by WP2uvrApKM101 in the presence of S9 mix. The GVP induced a mutagenic signal in TA100, YG1029 and YG1042 and WP2uvrApKM101 only in the absence of S9 mix. To detect mutagenicity in WS the presence of the plasmid pKM101 is required and a frame-shift mutation is more effective than a missense mutation. To detect mutagenicity in GVP, the presence of the plasmid pKM101 and a missense mutation are required. The differentiating capacity of this modified Ames assay was demonstrated by exposing strain TA98 to WS and TA100 to the GVP of cigarettes with different tar content. The mutagenic activity of WS and the GVP increased with rising tar content of the cigarettes with two exceptions in WS. Thus, the concept of tar content alone is misleading and does not reflect the mutagenic activity of a cigarette.     

Mutagenic and genotoxic evaluation of bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems

The epoxy resin bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE), was examined for its mutagenicity in prokaryotic assays (Salmonella typhimurium His(-) and Escherichia coli Trp(-) tests) and its genotoxicity in eukaryotic systems (sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus tests in human lymphocytes), in the presence or absence of an exogenous metabolizing system (S9 from rat liver). In the prokaryotic tests, the concentrations of BFDGE ranged between 100 and 5000 micro g per plate, and in the eukaryotic assays from 12.5 to 62.5 micro g/ml. The compound is able to induce mutagenic effects in bacterial strains TA100, TA1535, WP2uvrA and IC3327, as revealed by the increase observed in the number of induced revertants. With respect to the genotoxicity assays, BFDGE induces an increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.     

Antimutagenic and mutagenic activities of some terpenes in the bacterial reverse mutation assay

The mutagenic and antimutagenic effects of linalool, linalyl acetate and beta-caryophyllene were evaluated by the bacterial reverse mutation assay on Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100, and on Escherichia coli WP2uvrA strains. Neither linalool nor beta-caryophyllene showed mutagenicity, but linalyl acetate induced a statistically significant increase in the number of revertant colonies in WP2uvrA, both with and without S9 mixture. Linalool was devoid of antimutagenic activity against 2-nitrofluorene (2NF), sodium azide (SA), methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) and 2-aminoanthracene (2AA). In contrast, beta-caryophyllene showed a strong antimutagenic activity against 2NF: at the maximum concentration tested (6.40mg/plate) the number of 2NF-induced revertant colonies was reduced by 83.9%. beta-Caryophyllene also showed to counteract the mutagenicity of SA (in TA 100), MMS and 2AA (in WP2uvrA): the effect was weak against SA (inhibition lower than 25%) and moderate against MMS and 2AA (up to 30.5%). The antimutagenic activity of beta-caryophyllene observed here suggests further studies to evaluate its possible chemopreventive properties.     

Mutagenic activity of 6-azido deoxyhexoses and azido alcohols in Salmonella typhimurium and its inhibition by a structure-similar carbon source in the medium

6-Azido-6-deoxy (AZd) derivatives of D-glucose, D-mannose, D-altrose, D-allose, L-idose, D-galactose, D-galactonic acid and D-galactitol, 3-azido-1,2-propanediol (azidoglycerol), 3,1-diazido-2-propanol (diazidoglycerol) and (at much higher doses) 2-azidoethanol were mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 and TA1535. The mutagenic response was similar to that induced by sodium azide, i.e., the azido compounds failed to induce mutations in strain TA98, and mutagenesis was independent of plasmid pKM101, and independent of external activation. The specific mutagenicity (his+ rev/mmole) of AZd-glucose and AZd-galactose was decreased with increasing concentrations of D-glucose or D-galactose in the minimal agar medium and enhanced 100-fold or more when 0.2% citrate rather than 0.2% glucose served as the carbon source in the medium. Similarly, the mutagenic efficiency of azidoglycerol was inhibited by glycerol but not by D-glucose or D-galactose; however, the mutagenicity of sodium azide was not influenced by any of these carbon sources in the medium. The inhibition of the mutagenic action of azido hexoses and azido alcohols by non-azido structural analogs is assumed to reside in competition in transmembrane transport or for the metabolic pathways.     

Evaluation of the mutagenic properties of the coccolithophorePleurochrysis carterae (Haptophyceae) as a potential human food supplement

The mutagenicity of the algaPleurochrysis carterae for use as human food was tested by the Ames method with the modification of pre-incubation, by usingSalmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537 andEscherichia coli WP2uvrA. The freeze-dried powder ofP. carterae was not mutagenic to any strain either with or without S9 mix. In view of the absence of adverse effects ofP. carterae in this mutagenicity study, it is suggested thatP. carterae is safe for human consumption as a human food supplement.Author for correspondence     

Mutagenicity of nitrofuran drugs in bacterial systems

The mutagenic activity of 5 nitrofuran drugs (furadantin, furoxon, furacin, benzazon VII and lampit) was tested on strainsSalmonella typhimurium TA 100, TA 1535, TA 1538 andEscherichia coli WP2uvra ⁺ and WP2uvr A. All nitrofurans tested had a marked mutagenic effect on strain TA 100 and, partially, on strain TA 1535 except for furoxon which was strongly toxic for this strain. No significant mutagenic effects of the drugs were observed with strain TA 1538. With the exception of lympit, all drugs exerted a mutagenie action onE.coli WP2uvrA but no on WP2 uvrA⁺ which has an intact excision repair system. The only drug exerting a mutagenie effect on the latter strain was furoxon. All five nitrofurans exhibited a positive repair rest. The results support the notion that the nitrofuran mutagens under study induce single base substitutions.