MUTAGENICITY OF CANCER CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC-AGENTS IN SALMONELLA-MICROSOME TEST

Abstract

Seventeen cancer chemotherapeutic agents were tested for their ability to mutate S. typhimurium tester strains in the Salmonella/[rat liver]microsome mutagenicity test. There was a high correlation between mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of a given agent. Carcinogens positive in the test were adriamycin, daunomycin, 1-propanol-3,3''-iminodimethanesulfonate, cyclophoshamide, isophosphamide, hycanthone, chlornaphazin, nitrogen mustard, uracil mustard, melphalan and thiotepa. Two carcinogens, actinomycin D and bleomycin, were not detected as mutagens. The presumptive noncarcinogen, methotrexate, was negative in the test. Tilorone and 6-mercaptopurine, tentatively classified as noncarcinogens, were mutagenic. The carcinogenicity of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II), which was positive in the test, was not determined.