[Mutagenicity studies of montirelin hydrate (NS-3)].

Montirelin hydrate (NS-3), a new drug for the treatment of disturbance of consciousness, was examined for mutagenicity in the reverse mutation test, the chromosome aberration test in vitro, and the micronucleus test in mice. The reverse mutation test was performed at dose range of 156.25-5,000 micrograms/plate using Salmonella typhimurium strains, TA1535, TA100, TA1537, and TA98, and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA. The drug did not increase revertant colonies significantly in any of the test strains with or without metabolic activation system (S-9mix). The chromosome aberration test was carried out at dose range of 300-4,800 micrograms/ml using cultured Chinese hamster lung cells (CHL/IU). No significant increases of the frequencies of cells with chromosomal aberrations were observed with or without metabolic activations. The micronucleus test was conducted in the bone marrow cells of Slc:ddY male mice. Mice were given the drug by a single intraperitoneal administration at doses of 0, 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg. There were no significant increases in the frequencies of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at any dose levels. These results show that montirelin hydrate has no mutagenic activity in vitro or in vivo.