Isolation of mutagenic components by high-performance liquid chromatography from XAD extract of water from the Nishitakase River, Kyoto City, Japan.

In order to determine the concentrations of mutagenic pollutants in water samples taken from the Nishitakase river in Kyoto City, Japan, the organic fraction was concentrated by XAD adsorption followed by elution with ethyl ether. Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA1538 and TA98 were used fro detecting mutagenic activity. Mutagenic fractions, separated by a liquid-liquid fractionation and two consecutive runs with thin layer chromatography (TLC), were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results obtained indicated that at least six different frameshift mutagens, all requiring metabolic activation, were present in the river water. Interestingly, all the mutagens isolated showed more pronounced mutagenic activity in TA1538 than in TA98, which is known to be more sensitive for most frameshift type mutagens.