Antitransforming activity of chlorophyllin against selected carcinogens and complex mixtures.

Chlorophyllin, a derivative of chlorophyll, is known to be an antimutagenic agent. Studies were performed to determine whether chlorophyllin can also inhibit morphological transformation of BALB/3T3 cells induced by carcinogens and complex mixtures. Chlorophyllin was added to the cultures simultaneously with carcinogens or complex mixtures while the transformation assay was conducted. At concentrations that did not significantly affect cell growth, chlorophyllin was found to inhibit morphological transformation induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, 3-methylcholanthrene, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, aflatoxin B1, and extracts of coal dust, tobacco snuff, and chewing tobacco. In all cases, the mean number of transformed foci per flask treated with chlorophyllin was significantly lower than that of untreated cultures. The reduction in the number of transformed foci was dependent on the concentration of chlorophyllin tested. These results indicate that chlorophyllin is an antitransforming agent.