Mutagenicity of anthraquinone and benzanthrone derivatives in the Salmonella/microsome test: activation of anthraquinone glycosides by enzymic extracts of rat cecal bacteria.

Approximately 70 anthraquinones and 20 benzanthrones were assayed for mutagenicity in the Salmonella/microsome test, employing 5 tester strains and Aroclor 1254 induced rat-liver microsomes. About one-third of the anthraquinones were frameshift mutagens, particularly phenolic and nitro anthraquinones. The most potent mutagens detected were of plant origin. Lucidin (1,3-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethylanthraquinone) and its 2-ethyl ether gave values of 70 and 82 revertants per nmol, respectively, with strain TA100 (and microsomes in the case of the ether). A number of glycosides of mutagenic hydroxyanthraquinones were found to be nonmutagenic in the standard assay procedure, but could be activated by incorporation of cell-free sonic extracts of rat cecal bacteria, e.g., alizarin-2-O-beta-D-glycoside, emodin-1 (8)-monoglucoside and lucidin-3-O-primveroside. Over one-third of the benzanthrones tested were frameshift mutagens for Salmonella; the most potent response of 64 revertants/nmol was obtained with 3-p-toluidinobenzanthrone and microsomal activation in strain TA98.