Cytotoxicity and absence of mutagenic activity of vomitoxin (4-deoxynivalenol) in a hepatocyte-mediated mutation assay with V79 Chinese hamster lung cells.

Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of vomitoxin (4-deoxynivalenol), a tricothecene mycotoxin produced on cereal grains by fungi of the genus Fusarium, were determined in vitro with Chinese hamster V79 cells. Cytotoxicity was shown by a reduction in colony size at 1 microgram/ml (ppm); by reduction in the number and size of colonies at 2-3 micrograms/ml or higher; and by lethality to 80-90% of the cells at 10 micrograms/ml. Up to 3 micrograms/ml, vomitoxin was non-mutagenic to V79 cells at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus, with or without hepatocyte-mediated activation; and did not significantly increase the number of 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants at marginally cytotoxic levels of 6 and 8 micrograms/ml (data not shown). These findings, together with previous studies, suggest that vomitoxin, like other 12,13-epoxytricothecenes, may become cytotoxic through inhibition of protein and/or DNA synthesis, and is likely to be non-carcinogenic.