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Title: Metabolic activation of organic extracts from diesel, coke oven, roofing tar, and cigarette smoke emissions in the Ames Assay

Journal Article · · Environ. Mutagen.; (United States)

Four environmental emissions samples were ranked by their genotoxic potency in several bioassays. Although the relative potency of a series of automotive emissions (diesel and gasoline) in the Ames assay correlated well with the relative potency in mammalian cell and mouse skin, this was not the case for the coke oven, roofing tar, and cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) emissions. This study examines the role of metabolic activation in determining the difference between a microbial and a mammalian bioassay in ranking the genotoxic potency of these environmental emissions. Uninduced and Aroclor 1254-induced S9 from both rat and hamster liver were compared as the metabolic activator in the Ames assay with Salmonella typhimurium TA98. The diesel emissions sample was direct-acting while the other samples required activation. The standard S9 concentration also produced the maximum mutagenic activity. The relative potency of these four samples was not significantly different between the microbial (Ames), mammalian cell (mouse lymphoma), and tumor initiation (mouse skin) assays. These results suggest that the differences observed between the relative mutagenic activity of these emissions in the mammalian cell and microbial assays was not due to a lack of optimization of the S9 system but may be inherent in the different response of the indicator cells to different chemical classes.

Research Organization:
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC
OSTI ID:
6240472
Journal Information:
Environ. Mutagen.; (United States), Vol. 7:4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English