Errol Zeiger Consulting, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA.
Mutat Res. 2012 Jul 4;746(1):89-93. doi: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2012.03.008. Epub 2012 Mar 29.
A recent report (Calabrese et al., Mutat. Res. 726 (2011) 91-97) concluded that an analysis of Ames test mutagenicity data provides evidence of hormesis in mutagenicity dose-response relationships. An examination of the data used in this study and the conclusions regarding hormesis reveal a number of concerns regarding the analyses and possible misinterpretations of the Salmonella data. The claim of hormesis is based on test data from the National Toxicology Program using Salmonella strain TA100. Approximately half of the chemicals regarded as hormetic, and the majority of the specific dose-responses identified as hormetic, were actually nonmutagenic. We conclude that the data provide no evidence of hormetic effects. The Ames test is an excellent measure of bacterial mutagenicity, but the numbers of revertant (mutant) colonies on the plate are the result of a complex interaction between mutagenicity and toxicity, which renders the test inappropriate for demonstrating hormesis in bacterial mutagenicity experiments.
最近的一份报告（Calabrese 等人，《突变研究》726（2011 年）91-97）得出结论，对 Ames 试验致突变性数据的分析为致突变性剂量反应关系中的兴奋效应提供了证据。对这项研究中使用的数据和关于兴奋效应的结论进行审查，发现对沙门氏菌数据的分析和可能的误解存在一些担忧。兴奋效应的说法是基于美国国家毒理学计划使用沙门氏菌 TA100 的测试数据得出的。被认为具有兴奋效应的化学物质约有一半，以及被确定为具有兴奋效应的特定剂量反应，实际上是非致突变的。我们的结论是，这些数据没有提供兴奋效应的证据。Ames 试验是一种很好的细菌致突变性测量方法，但平板上回复突变（突变）菌落的数量是致突变性和毒性之间复杂相互作用的结果，这使得该试验不适合在细菌致突变性实验中证明兴奋效应。
