Chemicals testing for carcinogenicity

Tennant, R.W. and Ashby, J., Classification according to chemical structure, mutagenicity to Salmonella and level of carcinogenicity of a further 39 chemicals tested for carcinogenicity by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, Mutat. Res., 257, 209-227, 1991. 

What percentage of chemicals tested for carcinogenicity actually turn out to be carcinogens ... 

Results from this preliminary study suggest that a combined approach based on alternative methods could be positively applied to chemical screening in order to reduce the number of animal testing for carcinogenicity studies. 

Hradec J, Spiegelhalder B, Preussmann R. 1988. The initiator tRNA acceptance assay as a shortterm test for carcinogens. 2. Results with ten compounds selected by the International Programme on Chemical Safety for the evaluation of short-term tests for carcinogens. Carcinogenesis 9 843-846. 

Coffee is known to contain at least 1000 different chemicals. Of these, 27 have been tested for carcinogenicity in the rodent model. Nineteen of these 27 have proved to be positive. There is little or no evidence that drinking coffee poses a cancer risk in people. 

The paucity of systemic toxicity data for this chemical appears to be related to primary interest in testing for carcinogenicity. Treatment- related neoplasms developed in rats and mice that were treated with 1,2-diphenylhydrazine in a diet. An inconclusive chronic dermal carcinogenicity study of... 

WHO/IPCS has published Summary Reports on the Evaluation of Short-Term Tests for Carcinogens (WHO/IPCS 1985a, WHO/IPCS 1990) and a Guide to Short-Term Tests for Detecting Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Chemicals (WHO/IPCS 1985b). 

Intraperitoneal injection of metallic mercury in rats has produced sarcomas. The sarcomas develop without exception at those sites in direct contact with the metal, suggesting a foreign body reaction rather than chemical carcinogenesis. Mercuric chloride was tested for carcinogenicity in 2-year gavage studies in mice and rats." Three of 49 high-... 

PBNA has been tested for carcinogenicity in a number of species without conclusive results. There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity in male or female rats or in male mice fed 2500 or 5000 ppm in the diet for 2 years. The lack of carcinogenicity in rats may be related to an inability to metabolize PBNA to the known animal and human urinary bladder carcinogen P-naphthylamine. There was equivocal evidence for carcinogenicity in female mice, as indicated by the occurrence of two rare kidney tumors. Chemical-related non-neoplastic lesions, including nephropathy, karyomegaly, and hyperplasia, occurred in the kidneys of both species. 

Careie, A., Conti, G, Conti, L. Crebelli, R. (1985) Assays in Aspergillus nidulans for the indnction of forward-mutation in haploid strain 35 and for mitotic nondisjunction, haploidization and crossing-over in diploid strain PI. In Ashby, J., de Serres, F.J., Draper, M., Ishidate, M., Jr, Margolin, B.H., Matter, B.E. Shelby, M.D., eds. Progress in Mutation Research, Volume 5, Evaluation of Short-Term Tests for Carcinogens. Report of the International Programme on Chemical Safety s Collaborative Study on in vitro assays, Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, pp. 307-312... 

Carls, N. Schiestl, R.H. (1994) Evalnation of the yeast DEL assay with 10 compounds selected by the International Program on Chemical Safety for the evalnation of short-term tests for carcinogens. Mutat. Res., 320, 293-303 Cesarone, C.F., Bolognesi, C. Santi, L. (1982) Evalnation of damage to DNA after in vivo exposnre to different classes of chemicals. Hrc/z. Toxicol, 5 (Snppl.), 355-359... 

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