Analysis of the genotoxicity of nine acrylate/methacrylate compounds in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells.

Nine acrylate/methacrylate esters were tested for the induction of mutations, aberrations and micronuclei in cultured L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells without exogenous activation. With the exception of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and dicyclopentenyloxyethyl methacrylate which produced equivocal mutagenic responses, the other seven compounds (2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, dicyclopentenyloxyethyl acrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, and pentaerythritol triacrylate) produced positive mutagenic responses with different potencies. For the mutagenic acrylates/methacrylates, primarily small-colony, trifluorothymidine (TFT)-resistant mutants were induced, suggesting a clastogenic mechanism that was supported by increased aberrations and micronucleus frequencies (except for trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate which was positive for aberration but not micronucleus induction). Generally, it was found that multifunctional compounds (esters with greater than 1 functional vinyl group) required lower concentrations than monofunctional compounds to induce maximal cytotoxic, mutagenic, and clastogenic responses. In addition, acrylates were generally more potent than their corresponding methacrylates. This information and these comparative activities will provide some guidance for setting priorities of concern for hazard consideration for acrylate/methacrylate ester compounds.