Erythrocytes-mediated metabolic activation of cyclophosphamide in yeast mutagenicity test.

The degree of conversion of cyclophosphamide (CP) into mutagenic intermediates was studied using mouse erythrocytes as the metabolic activation system. The amount of mutagenic intermediates produced was measured indirectly in terms of induced frequencies of mitotic recombination, mitotic gene conversion, and reverse mutation in the diploid D7 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the absence of S9 microsomal fraction or erythrocytes, CP did not induce any genetic response. In the presence of erythrocytes, on the other hand, CP clearly induced increases in the three genetic endpoints. The responses, however, were lower than those observed with the S9 activation system. The activating principle seems to be the oxyhemoglobin. In fact, neither p-nitroanisole O-demethylase activity nor genotoxic responses performed with red-blood cells from uninduced and PB-induced mice indicate that (possible) water-soluble forms of cytochrome P-450 were responsible for the activation of CP by erythrocytes.