SFTG international collaborative study on in vitro micronucleus test III. Using CHO cells.

In this report, results are presented from an international study of the in vitro micronucleus assay using Chinese hamster ovary cells. This study was coordinated by an organizing committee supported by the SFTG (the French branch of the European Environmental Mutagen Society). Test chemicals included mannitol, bleomycin, cytosine arabinoside, urethane and diethylstilboestrol.

Genetic toxicology studies with a tumor promoter.

A diuretic antihypertensive agent, SC-33643 (8-[2-ethoxyethyl]-7-phenyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-5- amine, also known as bemitradine), was tested in the Ames test, in the mouse lymphoma TK +/- mutation assay, in the Chinese hamster ovary cell hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (CHO/HGPRT) mutation test and in the CHO chromosome aberration assay with and without metabolic activation. Additionally, the compound was tested in the rat primary hepatocyte unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay and in the mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay. The results were uniformly negative.

Genetic toxicology studies of an anti-AIDS drug.

SC-48334 (N-butyldeoxynojirimycin) is an experimental anti-AIDS drug which is currently in clinical trials. This drug is an aminosugar derivative. Its biological properties have been previously published [1].

Genotoxic properties of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU).

(E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (BVDU)is a 5-substituted 2'-deoxyuridine antiviral compound that inhibits thymidylate synthetase. The selectivity of BVDU for virus-infected cells has been attributed to phosphorylation of BVDU by a virus-induced thymidine kinase. Since the closely related compounds 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine are in vitro and in vivo mutagens, BVDU was tested for genotoxic activity in bacterial and mammalian cell mutation assays as well as in assays measuring DNA damage/repair and clastogenic activity.

Chinese hamster ovary cell assays for mutation and chromosome damage: data from non-carcinogens.

In vitro genotoxicity tests are employed to screen chemicals for their capability to cause various DNA and chromosomal alterations, and the results are often used to predict their potential for carcinogenicity. However, there is controversy regarding the apparent low specificity of some in vitro genotoxicity assays, which result in a high false positive rate. Since we use and rely upon in vitro assays for risk assessment and prediction of carcinogenicity, this specificity issue is of serious concern to us.