Anti-mutagenic agents are also co-recombinogenic and can be converted into co-mutagens.

In experiments using yeast without an external metabolic activation system, the hormones testosterone, beta-estradiol, and diethylstilbestrol were anti-mutagenic and co-recombinogenic. In the presence of Aroclor-induced rat liver S-9 plus cofactors (S9-mix) the same substances acted as co-mutagens and anti-recombinogens. Since an external metabolic activation system was able to convert anti-mutagens into co-mutagens, we studied whether the different metabolism of yeast and mice would lead to different effects. In whole-animal experiments using the mouse spot test, anti-mutagenic effects of vanillin (Imanishi et al., 1990), phenobarbital (Shibuya and Murota, 1984), and tannic acid (Sasaki et al., 1990) have been observed. In our present experiments with yeast, tannic acid and phenobarbital showed anti-mutagenic effects also, whereas vanillin acted as a co-mutagen. Thus, as in the case of the hormones, tannic acid and phenobarbital were anti-mutagenic and co-recombinogenic whereas vanillin was co-mutagenic as well as co-recombinogenic.