The activity of ENU, iPMS and MMS in male mouse germ cells using the Muta Mouse positive selection transgenic mutation assay.

The alkylating agents ethyl nitrosourea (ENU), isopropyl methanesulphonate (iPMS) and methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) are potent male rodent germ cell mutagens. The mutagenic activity of these compounds in male mouse germ cells has been evaluated using the Muta Mouse positive selection transgenic mutation assay. Both ENU (150 mg/kg) and iPMS (100 mg/kg) gave increased mutant frequencies in testicular DNA recovered 50 days after dosing. During the course of the mutation assays on iPMS its activity as a dominant lethal mutagen was confirmed by mating the treated animals with virgin (non-transgenic) females on day 10 post-dosing. Ova analysis on animals exposed to iPMS confirmed earlier reports that the dose level used caused sterility in mice 40 days after dosing. This sterility was shown to be due to aspermia in the treated mice at day 50 post-dosing. These collected findings indicate that at day 50 post-dosing with iPMS, mutations in testicular DNA can be observed in sterile animals. MMS (100 mg/kg) was not mutagenic to either testicular DNA or epididymal sperm DNA, 10 or 50 days, respectively, after dosing.