Short-term test mutagens

Waters MD, Stack HF, Jackson MA, et al. 1994. The performance of short-term tests in identifying potential germ cell mutagens A qualitative and quantitative analysis. Mutat Res 341 109-131. 

Venitt, S. and Crofton-Sleigh, C. (1981). Mutagenicity of 42 coded compounds in a bacterial assay using Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. In Evaluation of Short-term Tests for Carcinogens. Report of the International Collaborative Program. Progress in Mutational Research (de Serres, F.J. and Ashby J., Eds.). Vol 1. Elsevier, New York, pp. 351-360. 

Kramers PG, Voogd CE, Knaap AG, et al. 1985. Mutagenicity of methyl bromide in a series of short-term tests. Mutat Res 155 41-47. 

Professor Bruce Ames, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley is one of the pioneers of this type of short-term testing. The Ames Test, as it is called, is now widely used, typically as one of several short-term tests that constitute a series of tests, or battery. A battery is thought necessary because no single test is adequate to detect all types of genotoxicity. The Ames Test involves the use of mutant strains of a common bacterium. Salmonella typhimurium, that back-mutate to their normal state in the presence of a mutagenic chemical or metabolite. Many other bacterial and mammalian cell systems have been made available for this type of testing. 

Seiler JP. 1977. Inhibition of testicular DNA synthesis by chemical mutagens and carcinogens. Preliminary results in the validation of a novel short term test. Mutat Res 46 305-310. 

Among the chemicals which have been shown to be mutagens in Salmonella (as well as other short-term tests) that have recently been shown to be carcinogens are 1,2-dichloroethane (10 x 109 Ibs/year, U.S.), tris-dibromopropyl phosphate (the flame retardant used in children s polyester sleepwear), sulfallate (a pesticide), o-phenylene-diamine, 2,4-diaminoanisole (hair dye ingredient), 2-nitro-p-phenylenediamine (hair dye ingredient), and 4-amino-2-nitro-phenol (hair dye ingredient). 

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). 

WHO/IPCS. 1985h. Guide to short-term tests for detecting mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals. Environmental Health Criteria 51. Geneva WHO. http / www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc051.htm... 

Vogel, E., Blijleven, W.G.H., Kortselius, M.J.H. and Zijlstra, J.A. (1981) Mutagenic activity of 17 coded compounds in the sex-linked recessive lethal test in Drosophila melanogaster, in Progress in Mutation Research, Volume 1 Evaluation of Short-Term Tests Carcinogens (eds F.J. de Serres and J. Ashby), Elsevier, Amsterdam. 

Bhide. Mutagenicity of extracts of brown and black masheri, pyrolysed products of tobacco using short-term tests. Mutagenesis 1987 2(4) 263-266. 

Epler, J. L., The Use of Short-Term Tests in the Isolation and Identification of Chemical Mutagens in Complex Mixtures, in Chemical Mutagens Principles and Methods for Their Detection (F. J. DeSerres and A. Hollander, Eds.), Vol. 6, pp. 239-270, Plenum, New York, 1980. 

Fox, M. Delow, G.F. (1985) Tests for mutagenic activity at the HGPRT locus in Chinese hamster V79 cells in culture. 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. 517-523... 

Mutagenic and carcinogenic chemicals, guide to short-term tests for detecting (No. 51,1985)... 

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