Cytogenetic Effects of Cyclohexylamine and N-OH-Cyclohexylamine on Human Leucocytes and Chinese Hamster Bone Marrow

SOME humans metabolize the commonly used artificial sweetener, cyclamate, to cyclohexylamine (CHA) and N-hydroxycyclo-hexylamine (N-OHCHA). There have been three reports^1–3 that cyclamate and its metabolic byproducts cause a significant amount of cytogenetic damage in cultured human cells and the bone marrow and spermatogonial cells of the rat, but unfortunately they do not give quantitative cytogenetic data, other than the percentages of cells with “breaks”. In our experiments, we attempted to detect significant cytogenetic damage to human leucocytes treated in vitro or in a host-mediated assay system with CHA or N-OHCHA. At the same time, bone marrow from Chinese hamsters was studied for cytogenetic effects after daily injections of CHA.