Mutation Research, 100 (1982) 65-66 65 Elsevier Biomedical Press

MUTAGENIC STUDIES ON BENZYL CHLORIDE, 4-CHLOROMETHYL- BIPHENYL AND 4-HYDROXYMETHYLBIPHENYL WITH Salmonella typhimurium AS PART OF THE UKEMS TRIAL

PAUL WATKINS AND CHERYL RICKARD

Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., Pharmaceuticals Division, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SKIO 4TG (Great Britain)

(Received 1 May 1981) (Accepted 31 July 1981)

SUMMARY

The study was conducted with histidine-dependent strains (TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98 and TA100) of Salmonel la t yph imur ium using a plate-incorporation assay and inclusion of a rat-liver enzyme ($9 mix) preparat ion (Ames et al., 1975). BC and 4CMB were mutagenic under the conditions of the test and this result was modified by the inclusion of the $9 mix. 4HMB showed no mutagenic activity in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Salmonel la t y p h i m u r i u m tester strains were obtained from Dr. B.N. Ames. The mutagenicity assay was carried out as described by Ames et al. (1975). The $9 mix was prepared f rom Alderley Park, Alplc (Wistar derived) rat liver induced by Aroclor 1254 500 mg/kg i.p.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results are shown in Table 1. BC shows a positive mutagenic response only with TA100 and then only after the inclusion of the $9 mix. No positive result is seen with BC with any of the other strains tested.

4CMB shows a pqsitive result with strains TAI00, TA1535 and TA1538 with and without the $9 mix. W. ith strains TA98 and TA1537, 4CMB only showed a positive

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TABLE 1

MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF BC, 4CMB AND 4HMB IN Salmonella typhimurium

Chemical Concen- Revertants per plate a

tration TA1535 TA100 TA1537 TA1538 TA98

~g/plate) - $ 9 + $ 9 - $ 9 + $ 9 - $ 9 + $ 9 - $ 9 + $ 9 - $ 9 + $ 9

Untreated

DMSO

BC

4CMB

4HMB

4 4 57 49 4 3 4 9 11 6

110 3 2 45 46 4 5 2 7 1 5

1 2 3 45 55 2 3 3 7 6 5

10 3 4 49 55 6 6 3 2 2 9

100 2 4 60 78 2 1 2 7 2 5

500 5 4 45 93 2 4 3 7 2 4

1000 3 4 23 172 1 3 T 5 T 5

5000 T T T T T T T 2 T T

1 2 3 51 73 2 3 2 6 9 6

10 2 7 60 67 3 8 9 11 19 11

100 2 6 98 192 3 11 144 316 3 142

500 20 18 307 661 T 1 761 684 0 312

1000 3 15 18 302 T T 697 771 0 293

5000 P 8 P P T T 928 926 P P

1 3 6 71 58 2 51 0 6 5 7 10 3 3 49 47 5 3 3 5 4 4

100 2 2 71 57 4 2 2 8 T 9

500 1 3 37 56 1 3 1 7 T 5

1000 1 2 T T T 1 T 5 T 3 5000 T T T T T P T 5 T T

aMean of 3 plates.

T, Evidence of toxicity.

P, Precipitation of compound making the plate difficult to score.

Data for positive controls for each strain are not shown but all gave satisfactory results.

result after inclusion of the $9 mix. The response seen with TA1535 with 4CMB was very small compared to TA1538, TA98 and TA100. The inclusion of $9 mix with 4CMB slightly increased the positive response.

4HMB showed no positive results with any of the strains tested.

REFERENCE

Ames, B.N., J. McCann and E. Yamasaki (1975) Methods for detecting carcinogens and mutagens with

the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity test, Mutation Res., 31,347-364.