Mutagenic Activities of Oxidized Derivatives of A/-Nitrosodipropylamine in the Liver Cell-mediated and Salmonella typhimurium Assays1

The mutagenic activity of A/-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP), A/-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl) (2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP), N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP), /V-nitrosomethyl-2-oxopropylamine (MOP), and W-nitrosomethyl-2-hydroxypropylamine (MHP) was examined in the Ames liquid incubation assay, using hamster liver homogenate for meta bolic activation, and in the hamster liver cell-mediated V79 cell assay. At similar concentrations, the cell-mediated assay showed a greater mutagenic response over background to these nitrosamines than did the bacterial assay. Also, the relative mutagenic potency in the cell-mediated assay (MOP > MHP > BOP > HPOP > BHP) correlated better than that in the Ames assay (HPOP > MHP ^ BOP = BHP = MOP) with overall carcinogenic potency in the hamster (MOP > BOP > HPOP > BHP). The liver cell-mediated assay may be an impor tant adjunct to the battery of short-term tests for carcinogenicity prescreening.