Mutagenic Property

These findings are an additional strong argument for the existence of no-effect levels of carcinogens. 

Mutations are modifications of genetic information. The natural spontaneous mutation rate in humans is approx. 10 mutations per gene. Because of the extremely large number of genes, a mutation is not a rare event in humans. 

Fundamentally, three different types of mutations can be distinguished. 

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Quercetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid with both antioxidant and prooxidant activities (Scheme 10.12).90 It has been demonstrated in a variety of bacterial and mammalian mutagenicity experiments that quercetin has mutagenic properties that could be related to quinoid formation.91,92 Quercetin is initially oxidized to an o-quinone, which rapidly isomerizes to di-QMs that could also be called extended... 

Terashima, I. Suzuki, N. Shibutani, S. Mutagenic properties of estrogen quinone-derived DNA adducts in simian kidney cells. Biochemistry 2001, 40, 166-172. 

Fabacher, D.L., C.J. Schmitt, J.M. Besser, and M.J. Mac. 1988. Chemical characterization and mutagenic properties of polycyclic aromatic compounds in sediment from tributaries of the Great Lakes. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 7 529-543. 

The water-soluble nickel salts are less teratogenic than the particulate nickel compounds, but also induce prenatal loss. No conclusion can be reached at the present time as to whether the embryonic and foetal toxicity of nickel is, in part, related to mutagenic properties [421],... 

Belman S, Troll W, Teebor G, et al. 1968. The carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of N-hydroxy-aminonaphthalenes. Cancer Research 28 535-542. 

Two UV filters (used to block UV-rays in sunscreens and other products), octyl-p-methoxycinnamate and octyl-dimethyl-p-aminobenzoate, reacted with chlorine, producing chlorine-substituted compounds as intermediates that finally cleaved to smaller ester products [121]. Some of the identified octyl-p-methoxycinnamate DBPs showed weak mutagenic properties. Chlorinated and brominated intermediates were formed during chlorination of 2-ethylhexyl-4-(dimethylamine)benzoate and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, with trichloromethoxyphenol the most abundant DBP [122]. 

Anderson KJ, Leighty EG, Takahashi MT. 1972. Evaluation of herbicides for possible mutagenic properties. J Agr Food Chem 20 649-656. 

Kringstad, K.P. Ljungquist, P.O. de Sousa, F. Stromberg, L.M. Identification and mutagenic properties of some chlorinated aliphatic compounds in the spent liquor from Kraft pulp chlorination. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1981, 15, 562-566. 

Many chemicals possess mutagenic properties, which present a potential hazard to future generations because mutations in germ cells of sexually reproducing organisms may be transmitted to the... 

In relation to cancer, there is some evidence that highly oxidized and heated fats may have carcinogenic characteristics. HNE (4-hydroxy-2-frans-nonenal), a secondary lipid peroxidation product derived from linoleic acid oxidation, has assumed particular interest because it has shown cytotoxic and mutagenic properties. Its toxicity, as well other secondary lipid peroxidation products (HHE 4-hydroxy-2-frans-hexenal and HOE 4-h yd roxy-2-trans-oc ten al), is explained through the high reactivity with proteins, nucleic acids, DNA, and RNA. Research links them to different diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer s, and liver diseases (Seppanen and Csallany, 2006). Research is rapidly progressing, but results are still not conclusive. 

With the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of certain key airborne PAHs and PACs as background, let us now examine the contributions of these genotoxic compounds to the bacterial and human cell mutagenicities of ambient air. 

TABLE 10.23 1993 Annual Averages of Bacterial Mutagenic Properties (Salmonella typhimurium TM677 Forward Mutation... 

Mermelstein, R., E. C. McCoy, and H. S. Rosenkranz, The Mutagenic Properties of Nitroarenes Structure-Activity Relationships, in Toxicity of Nitroarenes (D. E. Rickert, Ed.), Chap. 14, Hemisphere Publishing, Washington, DC, 1985. 

Coumarin was antimutagenic in various assays, but also had co-mutagenic properties. 

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