Mutagenicity of secalonic acid D in mice.

Secalonic acid D is an acutely toxic and teratogenic mycotoxin, produced by Penicillium oxalicum in corn. Two rodent mutagenicity tests, the dominant lethal test designed to evaluate male germ cell mutations and the micronucleus test designed to evaluate somatic cell mutations, were conducted in mice to assess the carcinogenic potential of secalonic acid D. Data obtained indicate that the positive control compound triethylene melamine (TEM) induced dominant lethal mutations during weeks 1 through 4 after administration to male mice and also resulted in a greatly increased population of micronucleated polychromatic (immature) erythrocytes in bone marrow of treated male mice. Secalonic acid D, however, failed to induce dominant lethal mutations but produced a slight but statistically significant increase in the number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in mouse bone marrow at maximally tolerated doses. It is concluded that secalonic acid D may e weakly mutagenic in a mouse somatic cell mutation system.