Mutagenic activities of oxidized derivatives of N-nitrosodipropylamine in the liver cell-mediated and Salmonella typhimurium assays.

The mutagenic activity of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP), N-nitroso(2-hydroxypropyl) (2-oxopropyl)amine (HPOP), N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP), N-nitrosomethyl-2-oxopropylamine (MOP), and N-nitrosomethyl-2-hydroxypropylamine (MHP) was examined in the Ames liquid incubation assay, using hamster liver homogenate for metabolic activation, and in the hamster liver cell-mediated V79 cell assay. At similar concentrations, the cell-mediated assay showed a greater mutagenic response over background to these nitrosamines than did the bacterial assay. Also, the relative mutagenic potency in the cell-mediated assay (MOP > MHP > BOP > HPOP > BHP) correlated better than that in the Ames assay (HPOP > MHP greater than or equal to BOP = BHP = MOP) with overall carcinogenic potency in the hamster (MOP > BOP > HPOP > BHP). The liver cell-mediated assay may be an important adjunct to the battery of short-term tests for carcinogenicity prescreening.