Conversion of amoscanate to a mutagenic metabolite in gnotobiotic mice implanted with Streptococcus equinus.

Recent in vitro studies indicate that intestinal bacteria convert amoscanate (4-nitro-4'-isothiocyanodiphenylamine), an antischistosomal drug, to a potent mutagen. The present study indicates that the implantation of germfree mice with Streptococcus equinus, isolated from the small intestine of conventional mice, restores the mutagenic activation of amoscanate in vivo.

An evaluation of the host-mediated assay and body fluid analysis. A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gene-Tox Program.

The methodologies and status of the Host-Mediated Assay were reviewed using the published literature available up to June 1980. The Working Group reviewed 274 documents, including abstracts, research articles, review articles, and publicly available contracts and grant final reports. From this group, abstracts and reviews were rejected from critical evaluation. 77 documents were accepted and reviewed by the Working Group and the test results summarized. These selected documents yielded 208 chemicals that were evaluated in th host-mediated assay. Of these chemicals, 133 were mutagenic in this assay with one or more indicators. 76 chemicals, several of which are not considered to be carcinogenic, were not detected by any of the indicators. Of the 208 chemicals, 125 had been tested in carcinogenicity assay in rodents. 90, or 71%, of the carcinogens were detected as mutagens in the Host-Mediated Assay. In several cases, those carcinogens not detected may have been negative because of improper selection of the indicator. The Working Group concluded that the Host-Mediated Assay is an important test in mutagenicity/carcinogenicity research and that, by proper selection of protocols and indicators, valuable information can be gained that otherwise would be overlooked strict, in vitro assays.

Mutagenicity, tumorigenicity, and electrophilic reactivity of the stereoisomeric platinum(II) complexes of 1,2-diaminocyclohexane.

Without external activation, cis- and trans-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) (DDP) and the cis, trans(-), and trans(+) forms of dichloro-1,2-diaminocyclohexaneplatinum(II) (DDCP) and sulfato-1,2-diaminocyclohexaneplatinum(II) (SHP) showed a 400-fold range of mutagenicity for Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98; they were 2 to 10 times more mutagenic for strain TA100 than for strain TA98. With strain TA100, trans-DDP was less than 0.5% as mutagenic as the cis isomer, which produced 180 revertants/nmol. For the diaminocyclohexane complexes, mutagenic activity was strongly dependent on the stereoisomer of the diaminocyclohexane in the complex. Thus, with strain TA100, the trans(+) forms of DDCP and SHP produced 220 and 66 revertants/nmol, respectively, while the cis and trans(-) isomers induced only 10 and 5% as many revertants as the trans(+) forms. The SHP complexes were the most reactive toward DNA and produced a greater reduction in the transforming activity of Bacillus subtilis DNA after 3-hr reaction times than did the DDP or DDCP complexes. With 20-hr reaction times, all of the platinum complexes showed similar extents of reaction with DNA and caused approximately equal losses of transforming activity. The stereoisomeric form of the diaminocyclohexane ligand of the DDCP or SHP complexes did not affect either the reactivity of the complex with DNA or its ability to reduce the transforming activity of DNA. Significant increases in the number of lung adenomas in A/J mice were induced by multiple i.p. injections of cis-DDP and each of the DDCP and SHP complexes (total doses, 21 to 108 mumol/kg body weight). Similar treatments with cis-DDP caused a significant increase in the number of skin papillomas in female CD-1 mice given promoting treatments with croton oil; the DDCP and SHP complexes had little or no activity in this system. At these levels, trans-DDP was not active for the induction of either lung adenomas or skin tumors. With the systems used for this study, the mutagenicities and tumorigenicities of the platinum(II) complexes did not correlate with their reported antitumor activities. Further studies appear warranted to determine whether there may be effective antitumor platinum(II) complexes that are not strongly mutagenic or carcinogenic.

Protection by antibiotics against experimental focal cholangitis produced in mice by a schistosomicidal isothiocyanate.

Oral administration to mice of high doses of 4-isothiocyano-4'nitrodiphenylamine (amoscanate), a potent antischistosomal drug, produced focal necrotizing lesions of the large intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts and the gallbladder. Coadministration of erythromycin and, to a somewhat lesser degree, of paromomycin, markedly reduced the effects of amoscanate on the biliary tract. These results suggest that amoscanate may be converted to a cholangiotoxic product by one or several constituents of the enteric bacterial flora. Since erythromycin does not affect the antischistosomal activity of amoscanate, coadministration of an antibacterial agent can reduce toxic effects of a drug while full chemotherapeutic activity is maintained. The possibility of toxic effects of metabolites of xenobiotics produced by intestinal bacteria deserves attention and the experimental production of focal intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangitis by such drug metabolites suggests a possible mechanism in human bile diseases.

Mutagenic activation of an antischistosomal drug by enteric Streptococcus sps in vitro and in vivo.

Previous studies have shown that a new antischistosomal drug, 4-isothiocyano-4'-nitro diphenylamine (CGP 4540, amoscanate), is not mutagenic in vitro, but the urines of animals treated with this drug have mutagenic activity. Mutagenicity can be eliminated by coadministration of some antibacterial agents and is not demonstrable in germ-free animals. The present study describes attempts to isolate and identify intestinal microorganisms responsible for the mutagenic activation of amoscanate. Streptococcus equinus, isolated from the intestinal tract of mice, as well as some other species of Streptococcus, were found to produce mutagenic activation of amoscanate when introduced into animals pretreated with antibacterial agents. Similarly, incubation of these strains with amoscanate in vitro resulted in the formation of a mutagenic product.

Induction of hepatic neoplastic lesions in mice with a single dose of hycanthone methanesulfonate after partial hepatectomy.

Experiments were designed to determine whether hycanthone methanesulfonate (1-([2-(diethylamino)ethyl]amino)-4-(hydroxymethyl)thioxanthen-9-one monomethanesulfonate), an antischistosomal drug, and its analog, IA-4-N-oxide (8-chloro-2-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]-2H-[1]benzothiopyrano[4,3,2-cd]indazole 5-methanol monomethanesulfonate), will induce neoplastic lesions in the livers of mice not infected with Schistosoma mansoni. All the mice received a single i.m. injection of hycanthone methanesulfonate (76 mg/kg), IA-4-N-oxide (80 mg/kg), or an equivalent volume of the solvent, 0.9% NaCl solution, 42 hr after partial hepatectomy. Of the mice receiving hycanthone methanesulfonate and living 200 days or longer, hepatocellular carcinoma was seen in 11.5% and liver sarcoma was seen in 4.2%. This type of malignant neoplasm was not seen in the animals receiving either IA-4-N-oxide or 0.9% NaCl solution. In addition, mice receiving hycanthone methanesulfonate showed a significantly higher incidence of both type 1 (43% compared to 21% in controls) and type 2 (21% compared to 12% in controls) hepatocyte neoplasms. Mice receiving IA-4-N-oxide showed no increased incidence of neoplasms.

Prevention of the mutagenic activation of an antischistosomal isothiocyanate in primates by an antibiotic.

Administration of 4 nitro-4' isothiocyano-diphenylamine (CGP 4540, amoscanate) to two nonhuman primates, Macaca mulatta and Cebus apella, resulted in the appearance of mutagenic material in the urines of these animals. Mutagenic metabolites of this drug could also be detected in the urines when the drug was administered to primates infected with Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum. As observed previously in mice, the mutagenic activation of amoscanate can be prevented in primates by coadministration of a single oral dose of erythromycin with no concomitant reduction in antischistosomal activity. The protective effect of erythromycin was confirmed in several crossover experiments. This dissociation of mutagenic from chemotherapeutic effects provides an opportunity to reduce serious potential long-term risks of this antischistosomal drug.

Antimutagenic effects of 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and of antimicrobial agents.

Administration of the antioxidants 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and ethoxyquin (1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline) with the diet resulted in a marked decrease in the levels of mutagens present in mice treated with benzo(a)pyrene. This was reflected in the results of the host-mediated assay and determinations of the mutagenic activities of the urine, with the use of the sensitive tester strains TA100 and TA98 of Salmonella typhimurium his- developed by Ames and coworkers. Treatment with BHA was effective also in reducing the mutagenic activities in vivo of hycanthone, three other antischistosomal compounds, metronidazole, diazepam, and mebendazole. These effects were accompanied by increases in the thiol levels of some tissues. The production of mutagenic metabolites of two other antischistosomal drugs, 4-isothiocyano-4'-nitrodiphenylamine and oxamniquine, was not reduced by BHA treatment. However, such reductions in mutagenicity could be achieved by the administration of enteric antibacterial agents, implicating the role of intestinal microorganisms in the mutagenic activation of certain chemical agents. Combined treatment of mice with BHA and enteric antimicrobial agents reduced the levels of mutagens derived from metronidazole by more than 90%, and the combined treatments were more effective than was either treatment alone.

Formation of a mutagenic drug metabolite by intestinal microorganisms.

A new broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent, 4-isothiocyano-4'-nitrodiphenylamine, is devoid of mutagenic activity in vitro, either alone or in the presence of activating enzymes of rat liver. However, six species of mammals receiving this drug excrete as as yet unidentified mutagenic metabolite. Several observations suggested that one or several constituents of the enteric bacterial flora, rather than the metabolic activities of the host, are involved in the formation of this mutagen. Unequivocal demonstration for such a mechanism was provided by germ-free rats that do not form this metabolite, in contrast to their conventional littermates. Only a relatively moderate and apparently quite selective reduction in the total number of microorganisms of the intestinal flora is needed to elminate this mutagenic transformation. For example, following administration of a single dose of erythromycin or erythromycylamine, conversion of the isothiocyanate to a mutagen can be prevented completely, while antiparastitic activity is maintained. There is no obligatory association between chemotherapeutic activity and the formation of the mutagenic metabolite, and these two activities can be dissociated completely. This suggests a new approach for increasing the safety of pharmacological agents.

Saccharin and other sweeteners: mutagenic properties.

Saccharin preparations commonly distributed as artificial sweeteners exhibited mutagenic activity in bacterial tests. When administered orally to mice, mutagenic activity was demonstrable in the urines of these animals as well as in a host-mediated assay. Highly purified saccharin was not mutagenic in the direct assay, but the urines of mice to which this material had been administered exhibited mutagenic effects on one tester strain (Salmonella typhimurium TA100). Two other sweeteners, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and xylitol, had no detectable mutagenic activity in any of these assays using his- Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 or TA98.

Mandelonitrile beta-glucuronide: synthesis and characterization.

Mandelonitrile beta-glucuronide, the compound patented as Laetrile, has been synthesized from rabbit liver uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferase immobilized on beaded sepharose, has been analyzed by thin-layer chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and has been tested for cytotoxicity and mutagenic activity with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100. Several commercial laetrile preparations contained no glucuronide; they contained amygdalin and neoamygdalin instead. Mandelonitrile, mandelonitrile glucuronide, and a mixture of amygdalin and neoamygdalin were each found to be mutagenic.

Differences in antischistosomal and mutagenic properties between an isothiocyano- and an isocyanonitrodiphenylamine.

While 4-isothiocyano-4'-nitrodiphenylamine has high schistosomicidal activity in vivo and is devoid of mutagenic properties in vitro, the reverse is true for the isocyano analogue of this compound; i.e., replacement of the sulfur by oxygen results in a compound that has no demonstrable antischistosomal effects and exhibits significant mutagenic activity.

Mutagenic activities in vitro and in vivo of five antischistosomal compounds.

Five antischistosomal compounds--hycanthone, two of its chloroindazole analogs (IA-4 and IA-4 N-oxide), oxamniquine, and metrifonate--were tested for mutagenic activity, using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100 under in vitro and in vivo (host-mediated) conditions. In all assay systems hycanthone exhibited by far the highest mutagenic potency. Although oxamniquine and metrifonate had low metagenic activity in vitro and although their administration resulted in urine of low metagenic activity, their host-mediated mutagenic activities on strain TA 100 were fairly high. Confirming earlier studies with a less sensitive Salmonella strain, TA 1535, IA-4 N-oxide was found to be less metagenic than IA-4. Orally administered IA-4 and IA-4-oxide were less mutagenic under in vivo conditions than an equal dose administered intramuscularly. By contrast, the antihistosomal activity of a given dose of each compound was the same, regardless of which of these two routes was used, suggesting that mutagenic and antischistosomal effects are produced by different metabolites. The observations reported in this paper provide additional evidence that mutagenic activities can be dissociated from desired chemotherapeutic effects by suitable structural modifications.

Mutation induction by the antischistosomal drug F30066 in various test systems.

The genetic activity of furapromidium (F30066), an antischistosomal drug, was studied in Salmonella typhimurium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Neurospora crassa and cultured Chinese hamster cells. The results show that F30066 induces gene mutations in S. typhimurium, N. crassa and Chinese hamster cells. This compound also causes gene conversions in S. cerevisiae.

Antischistosomal and some toxicological properties of a nitrodiphenylaminoisothiocyanate (C 9333-Go/CGP 4540).

A procedure to enhance the schistosomicidal effectiveness in vivo of an isothiocyanate derivative and some of its antischistosomal properties are reported. Determinations of the effects of this compound on tissue thiol levels and on highly sensitivity bacterial tester strains have indicated that its mutagenic potential is of a low order and that the latter is decreased further after reduction of the host's intestinal bacterial flora.