Mutagenicity study on pyrazole, seven pyrazole derivatives, and two nitroimidazoles with the L-arabinose resistance test of Salmonella typhimurium.

The mutagenicity of pyrazole and seven pyrazole derivatives (4-nitropyrazole, 4-bromopyrazole, 1-methyl-4-nitropyrazole, 3,5-dimethyl-4-nitropyrazole, 1-methyl-4-bromopyrazole, 4,4'-dinitro-1, 1'-methylene-dipyrazole and 4,4'-dibromo-1,1'-methylene-dipyrazole) has been investigated with the L-arabinose forward mutation assay of Salmonella typhimurium. Two nitroimidazoles (1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole and metronidazole) were included as reference drugs. The mutagenicity of each chemical was determined by both preincubation and liquid tests, in the presence or absence of S9 microsomal fraction. The mutagenic response was expressed as the absolute number of L-arabinose resistant mutants growing in selective plates, supplemented with traces of D-glucose. Strain BA13 with a wildtype lipopolysaccharide barrier was used as a comparison to the deep rough derivative BA9. No mutagenic effect was detected with pyrazole and two of its derivatives, 1-methyl-4-bromopyrazole and 4,4'-dibromo-1,1'-methylene-dipyrazole. The other five pyrazole derivatives were mutagenic to different degrees, although their mutagenic potencies were always considerably lower than those of the two nitroimidazoles. The results suggest that 4-nitropyrazoles, as well as 4,4'-dinitro-1, 1'-methylene-dipyrazoles, should be investigated further as alternatives to, or even substitutes for, the currently used nitroimidazoles.