Mutagenicity of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene and N-hydroxy-phenacetin and their respective deacetylated metabolites in nitroreductase deficient Salmonella TA98FR and TA100FR.

The mutagenicity of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene and N-hydroxyphenacetin and their respective deacetylated metabolites, N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene and 2-nitrosofluorene, and N-hydroxyphenetidine and rho-nitrosophenetole was determined in nitroreductase deficient Salmonella tester strains TA 98FR and TA100FR. The mutagenicity of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene medicated by either rat liver microsomes or rat liver 105 000 g supernatant fractions was no different in either TA98 (nitroreductase proficient) or TA98FR (nitroreductase deficient). Similarly the mutagenicity of N-hydroxyphenacetin mediated by hamster liver microsomes was not affected by either the presence or absence of nitroreductase activity in TA100. N-Hydroxy-2-aminofluorene and 2-nitrosofluorene were equipotent direct acting mutagens in both TA98 and TA98FR, as were both N-hydroxyphenetidine and rho-nitrosophenetole in TA100 and TA 100FR. Ascorbate (5 mM) and NADPH (1 mM) had no significant effect on the mutagenicity of either N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene, or 2-nitrosofluorene in TA98 or TA98FR whereas ascorbate and NADPH markedly inhibited the mutagenicity of both N-hydroxyphenetidine and rho-nitrosophenetole in both TA100 and TA100FR. Ascorbate appears to be inhibiting the mutagenicity of N-hydroxyphenetidine and rho-nitrosophenetole as a result of the nonenzymatic chemical reduction of these compounds to non-mutagenic derivatives.