Analysis of the interlaboratory and intralaboratory reproducibility of the enhancement of simian adenovirus SA7 transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells by model carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic compounds.

The intralaboratory and interlaboratory reproducibility of a DNA virus (SA7) transformation enhancement assay was investigated using nine carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic compounds representing a variety of chemical classes. By the use of standardized procedures designed to limit assay variables, replicate assay data were collected in two independent laboratories and analyzed for concurrence. The carcinogens, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine yielded reproducible dose-dependent cytotoxicity and positive transformation effects (defined as statistically significant [p less than or equal to 0.05] enhancement of virus transformation at two or more consecutive dose levels) in all experiments in both laboratories. The carcinogens lead chromate, diethylnitrosamine, 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide, and 2-acetylaminofluorene demonstrated enhancement of SA7 transformation at two or more dose levels in 40-50% of the assays. The noncarcinogenic structural analogs anthracene and pyrene consistently did not produce positive assay responses when tested at dose levels up to the limits of solubility. Good interlaboratory concurrence was demonstrated for these model compounds in the Syrian hamster embryo cell-SA7 assay.