Developmental toxicity of orally administered thiabendazole in ICR mice.

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a potent anthelmintic and fungicide used in the treatment of parasitic infections in humans and domestic animals and post-harvest protection of agricultural commodities. TBZ is not teratogenic or selectively foetotoxic in rats or rabbits, in contrast to several other benzimidazole derivatives. However, when administered orally to pregnant (Jcl:ICR) mice at lethal dosages, malformations were observed in treated fetuses. To assess whether the effects found in this previous study were attributable to maternal toxicity or TBZ the present study was conducted. TBZ doses of 25, 100 or 200 mg/kg/day were selected based on a preliminary range-finding study in which maternotoxicity was evident at doses of 200 mg/kg/day or above. The compound was administered during gestation days 6-15 as a solution in olive oil. Caesarean sections were completed on gestation day 18 and complete fetal examinations conducted. Decreases in maternal weight gain relative to controls were found at doses of 100 mg/kg/day or above, which paralleled decreases in foetal weights in these same dose groups. However, there were no treatment-related external, visceral or skeletal anomalies in any treatment group. Therefore, TBZ was not teratogenic or selectively foetotoxic in mice, with no-observed-effect levels (NOEL) of 25 and greater than 200 mg/kg/day for maternal and fetal weight effects and teratogenicity, respectively. These results indicate that foetal effects noted in previous studies in mice were probably secondary to severe maternal toxicity.

Reduced immunotoxicity and preservation of antibacterial activity in a releasable side-chain carbapenem antibiotic.

A carbapenem antibiotic, L-786,392, was designed so that the side chain that provides high-affinity binding to the penicillin-binding proteins responsible for bacterial resistance was also the structural basis for ameliorating immunopathology. Expulsion of the side chain upon opening of the beta-lactam ring retained antibacterial activity while safely expelling the immunodominant epitope. L-786,392 was well tolerated in animal safety studies and had significant in vitro and in vivo activities against methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci.

Placental P-glycoprotein deficiency enhances susceptibility to chemically induced birth defects in mice.

A subpopulation of the CF-1 mouse strain contains a spontaneous mutation in the P-glycoprotein (Pgp) mdr1a gene, which leads to a lack of mdr1a expression in the placenta as well as brain and intestine. Individual CF-1 mice can be identified according to their Pgp status by a restriction fragment length polymorphism. Male and female mice selected on the basis of Pgp genotype were mated and the pregnant dams exposed during gestation to the known Pgp substrate, L-652,280, the 8,9 Z photoisomer of the naturally occurring avermectin Bla, which is known to produce cleft palate in mice. Fetal examination demonstrated that within individual litters, fetuses deficient in Pgp (-/-) were 100% susceptible to cleft palate, whereas their +/- heterozygote littermates were less sensitive. The homozygous +/+ fetuses with abundant Pgp were totally insensitive at the doses tested. The degree of chemical exposure of fetuses within each litter was inversely related to expression of placental Pgp, which was determined by the fetal genotype. These results demonstrate the importance of placental Pgp in protecting the fetus from potential teratogens and suggest that Pgp inhibitors should be carefully evaluated for their potential to increase susceptibility to chemical-induced teratogenesis.

Identification of a P-glycoprotein-deficient subpopulation in the CF-1 mouse strain using a restriction fragment length polymorphism.

There is a subpopulation of the CF-1 mouse strain that is very sensitive to the neurotoxicity induced by the avermectins, a class of natural products widely used in veterinary and human medicine as anti-parasitic agents. This sensitivity results from a lack of P-glycoprotein in the intestine and brain of sensitive animals, allowing increased penetration of these compounds in the blood and brain, respectively. We describe a restriction fragment length polymorphism that is able to predict which animals will be deficient in this protein, confirming at the genetic level a heterogeneous population of this mouse strain. Breeding studies demonstrated that the inheritance of the markers follows a normal Mendelian autosomal pattern. Sensitive "-/-" animals are deficient in P-glycoprotein in those tissues known to express primarily mdr1a, but have normal P-glycoprotein levels in tissues known to express primarily mdr1b or mdr2, suggesting that the defect in the sensitive animals is limited to the mdr1a gene. The P-glycoprotein expression in the brain is dependent on the genotype, which also determines the susceptibility to the avermectin-induced neurotoxicity, with the "-/-" animals being most sensitive, and the "+/-" animals having less P-glycoprotein and therefore increased CNS sensitivity compared to the "+/+" animals. The ability to segregate this strain into -/- and +/+ animals may prove useful for examining the physiological role of P-glycoprotein in drug absorption and distribution and related toxicity. These data also provide a warning that experiments carried out with P-glycoprotein substrates in the heterogeneous population of the CF-1 mouse must be interpreted with caution.

P-glycoprotein deficiency in a subpopulation of CF-1 mice enhances avermectin-induced neurotoxicity.

A subpopulation of CF-1 mice is unusual in its sensitivity to the avermectins, abamectin and ivermectin, with neurotoxicity occurring at 100-fold lower doses than in other species and mouse strains. We have shown that the sensitive CF-1 mice are deficient in P-glycoprotein in the intestinal epithelium and brain capillary endothelium, tissues forming the principle barriers for penetration into the systemic circulation and central nervous system, respectively. Consistent with the role of P-glycoprotein as a barrier to tissue entry, the plasma and tissue levels of radiolabeled ivermectin in the sensitive mice were markedly higher than in the insensitive mice, particularly in brain, the target organ for toxicity. Insensitive CF-1 and CD-1 mice showed abundant levels of P-glycoprotein in these tissues and tolerated doses of abamectin at least 50-fold the minimum toxic dose in the sensitive subgroup. In view of these findings in CF-1 mice with both abamectin and the structural analog ivermectin, which is used extensively in the treatment of human filariasis with no evidence of neurotoxicity, it is likely that this protein, found in human brain endothelium, is highly conserved in the human population.

Species specificity of 2-aryl carbapenem-induced immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in primates.

L-695,256 is a novel 2-fluorenonyl carbapenem antibiotic with significant antimicrobial activity against strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. This prototype compound was administered intravenously to rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at does of 50 or 200 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks to assess toxicity and found to induce a hemolytic anemia characterized by extravascular hemolysis and splenomegaly. A subsequent study in this species in which 100 mg/kg/day was administered i.v. for 4 weeks showed that all animals were direct antiglobulin test (Coombs' test) positive for IgG with 20-25% reductions in the erythron. Following 3 weeks of recovery, the erythron had returned to normal, although it took an additional 2 months for the Coombs' test to become negative. Challenge of these same animals with 0.5 million U/kg (300 mg/kg/day) of penicillin intravenously indicated no apparent cross-reactivity. Since attempts to establish a model for this immune-mediated hemolytic anemia with this drug in rats or mice were unsuccessful, a 2-week i.v. study in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) was conducted at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day. All animals in this study remained Coombs' test negative with no changes in the erythron, suggesting an increased sensitivity to beta-lactam-induced anemia in rhesus monkeys compared to other species. Further support for this hypothesis was obtained using the cephalosporin antibiotic, cefotetan. This compound induced a high incidence of Coombs' test positive hemolytic anemia at clinically relevant doses in rhesus monkeys, despite a very low incidence of this adverse effect in patients with many years of clinical use. These data suggest that although rhesus monkeys respond in a qualitatively similar manner to humans with regard to high doses of beta-lactam antibiotics, their sensitivity may overestimate the risk of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia for clinical use.

Development and submission of a nonclinical (pharmacology/toxicology) CANDA.

The experience with the submission of a nonclinical (pharmacology and toxicology) computer-assisted New Drug Application (CANDA) is reviewed. This system consisted of a stand-alone personal computer running several commercial programs in Microsoft Windows to access both text and data. WordPerfect was used as the word processor that contained all the documents and data tables (in read-only format) that were submitted in hard copy, and Andyne GQL was used as a tool to query the data in an Oracle relational database. Microsoft Excel was provided as a spreadsheet for graphics and analysis of data. Documents appeared virtually identical to those in the hard copy NDA submission. Searching the text was facilitated by the use of buttons on the screen, which allowed the NDA to be searched for a particular term. Data could be located either in WordPerfect documents, or in an Oracle database (using Andyne GQL) by querying the data. The data queries could be performed ad hoc, in which the reviewer selected all the parameters for a search, or with predefined query buttons, which retrieved data for principal treatment-related changes. This type of system also could serve as a useful model for both in-house nonclinical review and the submission of INDs and IND amendments.

Toxicokinetic and mechanistic considerations in the interpretation of the rodent bioassay.

When chemicals that are nongenotoxic in conventional assays produce increases in tumor incidence in rodents in chronic bioassays, the determination of the significance of these data for human safety is a challenging task. An important first step in this process is consideration of available data on the mechanism of action and biological properties of the chemical as well as pharmacokinetic and metabolism data in the species showing the response. In recent years, there has been an increase in the understanding of so-called "secondary mechanisms" of carcinogenesis (e.g., thyroid tumors in rats following exposure to enzyme inducers). Application of these data may assist in determination of human risk. There are 2 important questions that will be explored and developed: Are there biological effects produced in the test species that could explain the increase in tumor incidence, and will these effects be reproduced in humans? What is the exposure to the chemical that is associated with the increase in tumors, and how does this relate to exposure in humans?

Dietary two-generation reproduction study of thiabendazole in Sprague-Dawley rats.

The potential reproductive toxicity of the fungicide and anthelmintic thiabendazole (TBZ) was assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats for two generations. Doses of 10, 30 or 90 mg/kg/day were administered by way of the diet beginning at 8 wk of age for the F0 generation and postnatal wk 4 for the F1 generation and continuing until the animals were killed. Concentrations of TBZ in the diet were adjusted weekly, except during the gestation and lactation intervals when concentrations were held constant. There were no TBZ-related deaths or adverse physical signs during the study. TBZ-related effects consisted of decreases in average body weight gains and food consumption in the middle and high dose groups. In both the F0 and F1 generations during the premating and post-cohabitation periods, the effects in the middle-dose group were observed only in males and were generally slight in magnitude (food consumption 3-5% below control, weight gain 7-18% below control), whereas the effects in the high dose group occurred in both sexes and were slight to moderate in magnitude (food consumption 9-13% below control, weight gain 13-46% below control). During gestation of the F0 females there were slight decreases in average weight gain and food consumption (8% and 4-16% below control, respectively); a similar effect on food consumption, but not weight gain, occurred in the F1 generation. There were no effects on F0 or F1 reproductive performance (including indices of mating, fecundity, fertility, length of gestation, litter size, birth weight, and post-implantation survival), nor were any histomorphological changes observed in the reproductive tissues of animals in the high dose group. There was no evidence of developmental toxicity in the TBZ-exposed F1 or F2 generations, except for slight decreases in average pup weights between postnatal days 4 and 21 in the high dose group (5-10% below control). The NOAEL (no-observed-adverse-effect level) for all developmental, growth, survival and reproductive performance parameters assessed in this study was 10 mg/kg/day.

Developmental toxicity of orally administered thiabendazole in Sprague-Dawley rats and New Zealand white rabbits.

The developmental toxicity of thiabendazole (TBZ) was assessed in studies in New Zealand white rabbits and Sprague-Dawley rats. The doses of TBZ for these studies were based on decreases in maternal weight gain in dose range-finding studies in pregnant females of each species. In rabbits, TBZ was administered orally at doses ranging from 24 to 600 mg/kg body weight/day in two separate studies. In rats, TBZ was administered at doses of 10, 40 or 80 mg/kg body weight/day. In all studies, TBZ was administered daily by gavage in aqueous suspension on gestation days 6 to 17. In the initial rabbit study, weight loss occurred in the 600 mg/kg/day group and weight gain decreased in the 120 mg/kg/day group. In addition, there were four complete litter resorptions and four abortions in the 120 and 600 mg/kg/day groups, respectively. To determine whether these changes (known to occur spontaneously in rabbits) were reproducible, the study was repeated. In this study, decreased maternal weight gain and decreased foetal weights were found at 600 mg TBZ/kg/day, but there was no evidence of selective developmental toxicity. Similarly, in rats TBZ produced decreased maternal weight gain (12 to 26%) associated with slight (5 to 7%) decreases in foetal weights at doses of 30 and 80 mg/kg/day. No changes were found at 10 mg TBZ/kg/day and no evidence of selective developmental toxicity or teratogenicity was found at any dose. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that TBZ is not teratogenic or selectivity foetotoxic in rats or rabbits.

Induction of reversible urothelial cell hyperplasia in rats by clorsulon, a flukicide with weak carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity.

Clorsulon, a flukicide registered for use in treating Fasciola hepatica infections in cattle, has induced urinary bladder urothelial cell hyperplasia in rats at oral doses of 30 mg/kg/day or more. Despite previous testing at doses above this threshold, this lesion had not been found in subchronic or chronic toxicity studies in rats. After ruling out the presence of a contaminant as the causative factor in producing this lesion, a study was conducted in which clorsulon increased the pH and altered the electrolyte composition of urine, consistent with its weak carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity. The acid/base balance of the diet markedly affected the threshold for induction of the urothelial cell hyperplasia: acidification by addition of 5% ammonium chloride to the diet reduced the incidence and severity. In additional studies it was found that the urothelial cell hyperplasia was most pronounced after 1 week of treatment compared with daily exposure for either 5 or 15 wk. The reversibility of the hyperplasia despite continued treatment confirms that the hyperplasia is not a preneoplastic lesion, a conclusion supported by negative studies of carcinogenicity in rodent bioassays of clorsulon and other drugs with carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity.

The toxicity of a fluorinated-biphenyl HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor in beagle dogs.

L-645, 164, a potent inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutarylcoenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, is a structurally unique, synthetic monofluorinated-biphenyl that was administered to beagle dogs at dosages of 2, 10, or 50 mg/kg/day for 14 weeks to evaluate its toxic potential. Previously tested HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors from this laboratory have either been semisynthetic or fermentation-derived products containing a hexahydronaphthalene ring structure (i.e., lovastatin and simvastatin). Administration of L-645, 164 produced a significant spectrum of lesions, some of which have been previously associated with compounds of this pharmacological class, while others were unique to this monofluorinated-biphenyl inhibitor. Subcapsular lenticular opacities were produced in six of eight of the dogs receiving 50 mg/kg/day of L-645, 164 within 8 weeks of dosing. One dog receiving this dosage level experienced increases in serum alanine aminotransferase activity to levels 10 times those in concurrent control dogs. Light and electron microscopy of a wedge biopsy obtained within 3 days of this transaminase elevation failed to reveal any significant changes and the elevation resolved spontaneously despite continued drug administration. Lesions of the optic nerve and acoustic-vestibular tract and trapezoid decussation were observed in several dogs receiving 50 mg/kg/day. In addition, similar changes were observed in the optic tract in several of the dogs receiving 50 mg/kg/day and in one dog receiving 2 mg/kg/day of L-645,164. These were unique to L-645,164 and have not been observed after the administration of other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in this laboratory. Optic tract changes were generally mild, consisting of small to medium vacuoles without apparent myelin loss. Lesions in the other areas ranged from very slight to prominent vacuolation. No clinical signs were observed. Peak plasma drug levels of L-645,164 at 50 mg/kg were greater than 5 micrograms/ml, about one order of magnitude greater than those attained after administration of pharmacologically equipotent doses of lovastatin and simvastatin. These findings support previous observations that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors producing high plasma drug levels are associated with a significant degree of systemic toxicity. In addition, the drug-induced CNS lesions attributed to L-645,164 appear also to be related to its chemical structure since similar lesions have not been observed after the administration of other structurally unrelated HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors that produce high plasma drug concentrations and comparable degrees of serum cholesterol lowering.

Effects of ivermectin on reproduction and neonatal toxicity in rats.

In this study we describe the effects of ivermectin (MK-0933) on the reproduction and neonatal toxicity of several generations of rats. Ivermectin was administered orally at dose levels of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 1.2 or 3.6 mg/kg body weight/day. An increase in postnatal pup mortality up to approximately day 10 post-partum and a decrease in pup weights in the surviving offspring compared with those of the control groups indicated that ivermectin was toxic to neonatal rats at doses as low as 0.4 mg/kg body weight/day. Cross-fostering of the rats indicated that the neonatal toxicity was related not to in utero exposure but to postnatal exposure through maternal milk. Subsequent studies with tritiated ivermectin administered orally to rats showed that levels of radioactivity in maternal milk were 3-4-fold higher than those in the plasma, which resulted in significantly higher levels of ivermectin in the brain and plasma of nursing offspring. The period of enhanced neonatal sensitivity (up to approximately day 10 post-partum) correlates with increases in the plasma-brain ratios of total radioactivity in offspring from approximately 1 on day 4 post-partum to approximately 3 on day 10 post-partum. This is consistent with the postnatal formation of the blood-brain barrier in the species. In other mammalian species, including humans, sheep and rabbits, the blood-brain barrier is formed pre-natally. Therefore, the neonatal toxicity of ivermectin in rats is probably the result of a combination of excessive exposure through maternal milk and the increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier during the early postnatal period in this species.

Evidence of hepatitis A infection in immature rhesus monkeys.

Forty immature (less than 2 years old) rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with marked increases in aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities were examined. Serological and histopathological evaluations were done to determine if affected animals were infected with hepatitis A virus. Although no clinical signs of illness were noted in any of the monkeys, an excellent correlation was found between the increased serum aminotransferase values and seropositivity with the acute phase (IgM) HAVAB-M antibody. Histopathological evaluations of livers of selected animals revealed hepatic lesions consistent with those in chimpanzees and marmosets infected with hepatitis A virus: generalized activation of sinusoidal lining cells, focal hepatocellular necrosis with occasional acidophilic bodies, and cuffs of mononuclear cells in the portal areas. Although no animals were seropositive for HAVAB upon receipt from the breeding colony, a total of ten of 18 animals for which serological data were available had seroconverted to HAVAB positivity during the 4-month observation period. These results are consistent with hepatitis A infection in immature rhesus monkeys and indicate the potential significance of serological testing in animals in which hepatic function is being evaluated.

The effects of long-term dietary administration of the rubber accelerator, N-oxydiethylene thiocarbamyl-N-oxydiethylene sulfenamide, to rats.

Continuous administration of diets containing 0, 20, 60, 200, or 600 ppm of N-oxydiethylene thiocarbamyl-N-oxydiethylene sulfenamide to groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (60/sex/group) for over 2 years resulted in oncogenic and toxic effects which generally were limited to the high-dose (600 ppm) group. The most significant findings of this study were in the urinary system of the high-dose males and females. Postmortem examinations revealed a compound-related increase in both benign and malignant urothelial tumors in these animals but not in animals at lower doses. These observations in the high-dose animals paralleled an increase in kidney weights and non-neoplastic urinary tract abnormalities. In both sexes of the high-dose group, body weights were significantly lower and the incidence of rales was significantly higher than those of control animals throughout the course of the study. While some statistically significant changes in hematology, chemical chemistry, and urinalysis values were noted, no compound-related effect on these parameters was evident.

Spectral dependencies of killing, mutation, and transformation in mammalian cells and their relevance to hazards caused by solar ultraviolet radiation.

Using germicidal lamps and Westinghouse sunlamps with and without filtration, the effectiveness of ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet light in inducing molecular and cellular changes was measured. Cell survival and the induction of resistance to 6-thioguanine or to ouabain were measured with V79 Chinese hamster cells, cell survival and neoplastic transformation were measured with C3H mouse 10 T 1/2 cells, and the induction of pyrimidine dimers containing thymine was measured in both cell lines. The short-wavelength cutoff of the sunlamp emission was shifted from approximately 290 nm (unfiltered) to approximately 300 and approximately 310 nm by appropriate filters. Although it was found that the efficiency with which all end points were induced progressively decreased as the short-wavelength cutoff was shifted to longer wavelengths, the rates of decrease differed appreciably. For example, doses of near-ultraviolet light longer than approximately 300 nm that were effective in mutating or in transforming cells were ineffective in killing them. In respect to pyrimidine dimer induction, several but not all cellular end points were induced by dose ratios of sunlamp light (short-wavelength cutoff, approximately 290 nm) to germicidal lamp light (254 nm) in fairly close accord with the doses required to produce equivalent proportions of dimers. However, for near-ultraviolet light having cutoffs at longer wavelengths, the biological action observed was appreciably greater than what would be predicted from the proportion of dimers induced. From the latter observation, it is inferred that increasing intensities of short-wavelength ultraviolet light, as would be expected from reductions in stratospheric ozone around the earth, would result in smaller increases in biological action, e.g., skin cancer, compared to current levels of action than would be predicted from an action spectrum completely corresponding to that of a pyrimidine dimer induction spectrum in DNA.

Enhancement of recovery of chemical carcinogen-induced ouabain-resistant mutants in Chinese hamster cells by the tumor-promoting agent, 12-o-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate.

The effects of a tumor-promoting agent on the frequency of mutation to ouabain resistance and survival of Chinese hamster cells treated with a chemical carcinogen have been investigated. 12-O-Tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) significantly enhanced the mutation frequency induced by the carcinogen, methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), without having similar effects on cytotoxicity, at concentrations of 2 micrograms/ml or less. The observed degree of enhancement of mutagenesis increased with promoter concentration up to the point where the latter exhibited frank toxicity. Exposure of the cells to the promoter for a period of 2 or 6 h was found ineffective, but subsequently a significant enhancement was found after a 27-h exposure time. The maximum effect occurred after a 5-day exposure, with a increase in the mutation frequency of 250%. Treatment of cells with TPA alone resulted in no enhancement of spontaneous mutation rates, nor did treatment of cells prior to addition of carcinogen-induced mutagenesis. In contrast, TPA was found to be effective when applied as late as 6 weeks following carcinogen treatment. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that TPA owes its promoting activity toward chemically-induced mutagenesis and carcinogenesis to its ability to enhance expression of latent somatic genetic modifications by epigenetic mechanisms. They do not support mechanisms involving TPA-induced inhibition of DNA-repair replication, or mutagenic activity of TPA per se. The notably similar qualitative response to TPA of several parameters in mouse-skin tumorigenesis and Chinese hamster cell mutagenesis suggest that the mechanism of action of the promoter is similar in the 2 diverse biological systems.

Enhanced near-ultraviolet light sensitivity induced by coal combustor effluents in cultured mammalian cells.

The cytotoxicity of radiation from Westinghouse sun lamps (principal emission 290-340 nm) was enhanced by treatment of cells with nontoxic concentrations of condensate from the gaseous effluent from a pressurized, fluidized-bed coal combustor. The effect was similar to the photoenhanced cell killing induced by nontoxic concentrations of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, a carcinogenic derivative of substances produced by incomplete combusion of fossil fuels. Furthermore, light-dependent cell killing requiring the presence of the condensate was observed even when the sun lamp emission was filtered (principal emission 300-340 nm) to eliminate cell killing due to near-ultraviolet light alone, or when a black light near ultraviolet source (emission maximum, 365 nm) was used. It is suggested that coal combustor effluents may act synergistically with the short-wavelength component of sunlight.

Effect of cell growth rate and dose fractionation on chemically-induced ouabain-resistant mutations in Chinese hamster V79 cells.

Chinese hamster V79 cells were grown in medium containing either 10% or 2% FCS during the expression time following exposure to MNNG. The lower serum concentration was used to reduce the rate of cell replication, thereby allowing more time for DNA repair prior to "fixation" of the mutagenic lesion. In addition, fractionated and continuous exposures to MNNG and MAM, respectively, were carried out to determine their effect on the number of induced ouabain-resistant mutants. The results indicated that lowering the rate of cell growth effectively reduces the mutation frequency at low, but not at high doses of MNNG. Fractionated doses of MNNG result in a potentiation of their mutagenic effects compared to single doses. Also, continuous exposures to MAM result in an exponential increase in the mutation frequency. Collectively, these results suggest the importance of a repair process in Chinese hamster V79 cells which is dependent upon cell growth rate and the dose of the mutagen for its effectiveness.

Effect of alkane tumor-promoting agents on chemically induced mutagenesis in cultured V79 Chinese hamster cells.

Linear alkanes of specific chain length between 6 and 16 carbon atoms, an aryl derivative of dodecane, and a phorbol diester were tested in a cell culture system for relative ability to enhance mutagenesis induced by a chemical carcinogen, methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM). Mutation frequencies at the ouabain-resistance locus were measured. Results indicated an excellent correlation between the relative activities of the above compounds in enhancing mutagenesis in the in vitro culture system and their tumor-promoting activities in mouse skin. None of the compounds tested showed mutagenic activity per se, further lending support to the theory that promoters act via derepression of latent carcinogen-induced damage to the genome.