Induced hepatocytes as a metabolic activation system for the mouse-lymphoma assay.

We have developed methods for the coculture of hepatocytes and mouse lymphoma cells and have shown that this system can be used for evaluating promutagens from several chemical classes (Brock et al., 1987). In the present study we investigated the use of hepatocytes isolated from rats pretreated with a cytochrome P-450 inducer (PB) or a P-448 inducer (BNF). CP-induced mutagenicity was higher in the presence of PB-induced hepatocytes than in control hepatocytes. Control and BNF-induced hepatocytes were evaluated with B(a)P, B(l)A, and BA. A dose-related positive response was observed with B(a)P and B(l)A both in the presence of control or induced hepatocytes; however, somewhat higher mutant frequencies were obtained in the presence of BNF-induced hepatocytes. BA induced a very weak positive response (approx. 2 X b.g.) in the presence of control hepatocytes and was weakly positive in the presence of BNF-induced hepatocytes. Benzene was tested using control and both PB- and BNF-induced hepatocytes. Neither of these approaches were successful in activating benzene to a mutagenic metabolite. These studies indicate that for some chemicals the mutagenic response of mouse lymphoma cells can be increased by inducing hepatocytes prior to isolation and cocultivation, and expands the use of hepatocytes for research evaluating chemicals requiring metabolic activation.

Mutagenicity and clastogenicity of proflavin in L5178Y/TK +/- -3.7.2.C cells.

We evaluated the ability of proflavin to induce specific-locus mutations at the heterozygous thymidine kinase (tk) locus of L5178Y/TK +/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells, which appears to permit the recovery of mutants due to single-gene and chromosomal mutations. Proflavin was highly mutagenic at the tk locus, producing 724-965 TK mutants/10(6) survivors (background = 56-85/10(6); survival = 29-32%). Most of the mutants were small colonies, which suggested that proflavin may induce chromosomal mutations. The potent clastogenicity of proflavin was confirmed by cytogenetic analysis for chromosomal aberrations. At the highest dose analyzed (1.5 micrograms/ml), proflavin produced 82 aberrations/100 metaphaes (background = 2/100). The large-colony TK mutant frequency produced by proflavin (48-109/10(6) survivors; background = 23/10(6); survival = 57-61%) was similar to published HPRT mutant frequencies produces by proflavin in L5178Y and CHO cells (50-100/10(6) survivors; background = 2-50/10(6); survival = 50-62%). These results lead to the conclusion that proflavin is a potent clastogen and induces a high frequency of small-colony TK mutants; however, it induces a low frequency of HPRT mutants and a low frequency of large-colony TK mutants.

Genotoxicity of acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells.

A series of monomeric acrylate/methacrylate esters (methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate) as well as acrylic acid were examined for genotoxic activity in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells without exogenous activation. All five compounds induced concentration-dependent increases in mutant frequency. Small-colony, trifluorothymidine-resistant mutants were primarily induced, which suggests that these compounds may act via a clastogenic mechanism. This prediction was confirmed by the finding that all five compounds produced gross chromosome aberrations in mouse lymphoma cells. The two acrylates were much more potent in their response than acrylic acid. Methyl acrylate (22 micrograms/ml, survival = 18%) induced 385 mutants/10(6) survivors (total mutant frequency less the spontaneous mutant frequency) and 45 chromosome aberrations/100 cells analyzed (total aberrations less the spontaneous background). Ethyl acrylate (37.5 micrograms/ml, survival = 15%) induced 683 mutants/10(6) survivors and 48 aberrations/50 cells analyzed. Acrylic acid (500 micrograms/ml, survival = 22%) induced 245 mutants/10(6) survivors and 37 aberrations/100 cells analyzed. The two methacrylates required higher concentrations to induce a positive response. Methyl methacrylate (2,799 micrograms/ml, survival = 11%) induced 230 mutants/10(6) survivors and 29 aberrations/200 cells analyzed. Ethyl methacrylate was extremely difficult to test because of a plateau in the dose response, over which the toxicity fluctuated from 2% to 37% survival. Positive responses (twice the spontaneous background) were only obtained at toxicity levels with less than approximately 20% survival. A concentration of 1,626 micrograms/ml (survival = 16%) induced 83 mutants/10(6) survivors and 11 aberrations/200 cells analyzed. The evidence suggests that the genotoxicity of these compounds is most likely due to a clastogenic mechanism.

Mutagenicity of actinomycin D in mammalian cells due to clastogenic effects.

Actinomycin D was clastogenic and mutagenic in L5178Y/TK +/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. The majority of the mutants were small colonies, indicating that actinomycin D acts primarily by a clastogenic mechanism.

Mutagenicity of m-AMSA and o-AMSA in mammalian cells due to clastogenic mechanism: possible role of topoisomerase.

We evaluated the ability of the antitumor agent 4-(9-acridinylamino)-methanesulfon-m-anisidide (amsacrine or m-AMSA) and its congener, o-AMSA, to induce specific-locus mutations at the heterozygous thymidine kinase (tk) locus of L5178Y/TK+/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. These cells permit the recovery of mutants due to single-gene or chromosomal mutation. m-AMSA was highly mutagenic at the tk locus, producing approximately 3000 mutants/10(6) survivors at 10% survival; positive dose range 1-10 ng/ml; o-AMSA produced approximately 1500 mutants/10(6) survivors at 10% survival; positive dose range 0.1-2.5 micrograms/ml. Most of the TK mutants were small colonies, which suggests that m-AMSA and o-AMSA induce primarily chromosomal mutations as opposed to single-gene mutations. The potent clastogenicity of these agents was confirmed by cytogenetic analysis for chromosomal aberrations, which showed that m-AMSA (9 ng/ml, 10% survival) and o-AMSA (1 microgram/ml, 10% survival) produced 383 and 179 aberrations, respectively, per 100 metaphases (background = 3-4/100). The large-colony TK mutant frequencies produced by m-AMSA (67 - 112/10(6) survivors; background = 7/10(6); survival = 63 - 16%) were comparable to the published HPRT mutant frequencies produced by m-AMSA in V79 cells. Novobiocin (50 micrograms/ml), an inhibitor of mammalian DNA topoisomerase II and other enzymes, inhibited the mutagenic effects of m-AMSA, suggesting that DNA topoisomerase II (or another enzyme) may play a role in the mutagenic/clastogenic activity of m-AMSA.

Mutagenicity and clastogenicity of adriamycin in L5178Y/TK(+/-)-3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells.

Adriamycin was found to be both mutagenic and clastogenic to L5178Y/TK(+/-)-3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. A dose of only 5 ng/ml (survival = 62% or 67%) gave an induced TK mutant frequency of 307 or 296 per 10(6) survivors in two separate experiments. This dose was also clastogenic, inducing 20 chromosome aberrations/100 cells analyzed. The majority of the mutants were small-colony mutants, indicating that adriamycin likely acts primarily by a clastogenic mechanism.

Mutagenicity and clastogenicity of teniposide (VM-26) in L5178Y/TK +/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells.

The antitumor drug teniposide (VM-26) is a potent inducer of DNA breaks (Long et al., Cancer Res., (1985) 45, 3106), but it is only weakly mutagenic at the hprt locus in CHO cells (Singh and Gupta, Cancer Res., (1983) 43, 577). In the present study, the mutagenic and clastogenic activities of teniposide were evaluated in L5178Y/TK +/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. Although teniposide is a weak mutagen at the hprt locus, it is a potent mutagen at the tk locus, with as little as 0.5 ng/ml producing 220 TK mutants/10(6) survivors at 96% survival (background = 100/10(6) survivors). This same dose of teniposide induced 38 aberrations per 100 metaphases (background = 7/100 cells). At 7 ng/ml, teniposide induced approximately 2700 TK mutants/10(6) survivors at approximately 10% survival. At the highest dose sampled for aberration analysis (5 ng/ml), teniposide induced 44 aberrations/100 cells. Most of the aberrations were chromosomal rather than chromatid events. As expected for a compound acting primarily by a clastogenic mechanism, most of the TK mutants were small colonies. Thus, teniposide is a potent clastogen, and it is a potent mutagen at the tk locus but not at the hprt locus. These results support the hypothesis that the location of the target gene affects the ability of the assay to detect both intragenic events and events causing functional multilocus effects. Thus, a heterozygous locus (like tk) but not a functionally hemizygous locus (like hprt) may permit the detection of mutagens that act primarily by a clastogenic mechanism. Because teniposide induces topoisomerase II-associated DNA breaks, and because there is evidence that teniposide may not interact directly with DNA, we discuss the possibility that the potent clastogenic/mutagenic activity of teniposide may be mediated by topoisomerase II.

Mutagenesis of L5178Y/TK(+/-)-3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells by the clastogen ellipticine.

Ellipticine is a potent clastogen in CHO cells (Bhuyan et al: Cancer Res 32:2538-2544, 1972). The reported mutant frequencies produced by ellipticine at the hprt locus in CHO cells are less than or equal to 50/10(6) survivors (background approximately 2/10(6); survival = 10%) (DeMarini et al: Cancer Res 43:3544-3552, 1983; Singh and Gupta: Cancer Res 43:577-584, 1983; Environ Mutagen 5:871-880, 1983). In the present study, the mutagenic and clastogenic activities of ellipticine were evaluated in L5178Y/TK(+/-)-3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. Unlike the results at the hprt locus, ellipticine is a potent mutagen at the tk locus, with as little as 50 ng/ml producing an induced mutant frequency of 142/10(6) survivors (background = 56/10(6); survival = 61%) and 198/10(6) survivors (background = 72/10(6); survival = 50%) in two separate experiments. This same dose of ellipticine induced 44 aberrations per 100 metaphases (background = 5/100 cells). At 400 ng/ml, ellipticine induced over 1,000 mutants/10(6) survivors at approximately 10% survival and produced 242 aberrations/100 cells. Under the test conditions, most of the aberrations were chromosome rather than chromatid events. As expected for a compound acting primarily by a clastogenic mechanism, almost all of the TK-deficient mutants were small colonies. Thus, ellipticine is a potent clastogen in both Chinese hamster cells and in mouse lymphoma cells; however, it is a potent mutagen at only the tk locus and not at the hprt locus. These results support the hypothesis that the location of the target gene affects the ability of the assay to detect both intragenic events and events causing the loss of multiple loci. Thus, a heterozygous locus (like tk) but not a functionally hemizygous locus (like hprt) may permit the more efficient detection of mutagens that act primarily by a clastogenic mechanism.

Mutagenicity and clastogenicity of acrylamide in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells.

Acrylamide was tested without exogenous activation in L5178Y/TK+/- -3.7.2C cells for mutation at the thymidine kinase locus and for clastogenicity. Acrylamide gave a positive induced mutagenic response (approximately 70 mutants/10(6) survivors) when tested at 600-650 micrograms/ml. The highest dose tested (850 micrograms/ml) resulted in an induced mutant frequency of approximately 380 mutants/10(6) survivors (survival = 13%). Acrylamide induced almost exclusively small-colony mutants, indicating that it might be acting by a clastogenic mechanism. As predicted, acrylamide was clastogenic, inducing both chromatid and chromosome breaks and rearrangements. A clearly positive clastogenic response was observed at both the 750 micrograms/ml and 850 micrograms/ml doses, which showed 16 and 64 aberrations per 100 cells, respectively (background = 3 aberrations per 100 cells). These studies indicate that the L5178Y/TK+/- mouse lymphoma assay can detect some chromosomal mutagens (clastogens) that show little activity in other single gene mutation assays, the CHO/HPRT and Salmonella.

Development of an intact hepatocyte activation system for routine use with the mouse lymphoma assay.

We have developed a method for cocultivating primary rat hepatocytes with L5178Y/TK+/- -3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells. This method should provide a means of stimulating more closely in-vivo metabolism compared to metabolism by liver homogenates, while still being useful for routine screening. Hepatocytes were isolated from 200-250 gm adult male Sprague-Dawley rats; 1 X 10(6) viable hepatocytes were seeded per flask. Rapid attachment of the hepatocytes (2 hr) was obtained by using fibronectin-coated 25-cm2 tissue culture flasks. Cocultivated cultures were incubated at 37 degrees C on a platform rocker at 32 oscillations per minute. A 16-hr cocultivated period was selected. With this hepatocyte activation methodology, CP, DMN, DMBA, and B(a)P, genotoxins that require metabolic activation, could be detected as mutagens in L5178Y/TK+/- cells.

Genotoxicity studies of benz[l]aceanthrylene.

The genotoxicity of the cyclopenta-fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benz[l]aceanthrylene (B[l]A), was evaluated in vitro using the L5178Y/TK+/- mouse lymphoma assay and in vivo using the mouse peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) culture system. The mutagenicity and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) inducing potential of B[l]A was then compared to that of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). B[l]A appeared to be slightly less mutagenic than B[a]P at the TK locus, and each compound produced both small and large colony mutants indicating that they are clastogenic as well as mutagenic. Gross chromosome aberration analysis of treated L5178Y/TK+/- mouse lymphoma cells confirmed the clastogenicity of B[l]A in vitro. In the mouse PBL system, after administration by gavage, B[l]A was more cytotoxic and produced a sharper elevation in SCE frequency than B[a]P.