Induction of sex-linked recessive lethals and autosomal translocations by beta-propiolactone in Drosophila: Influence of the route of administration on mutagenic activity

Potential carcinogenic and mutagenic industrial chemicals. I. Alkylating agents

“…It induced high rates of point mutations at exposure levels that produced only a small amount of chromosome breakage. If this is true for mammals, the negative results obtained with BPL (injected ip) for chromosomal aberrations in rats (Dean, 1969) and dominant lethals in mice (Epstein et al, 1972)-both genetic end points originating from chromosome breaks-have no predictive value in terms of point mutations in these systems (Kortselius, 1979). Shamberger et al (1979) reported that increasing concentrations of BPL were increasingly mutagenic without metabolic activation with seven mutants of S. typhimurium, five of which mutated by a frameshift mechanism (TA1977, TA1978, hisC207, hisC3076, and hisD3052) and two by base-pair substitution.…”

“…It is mutagenic to bacteriophages, bacteria, fungi, plant cells, and cultured mammalian cells (Brusick, 1977b). In studies with Drosophila, BPL was 10 times more mutagenic (inducing translocations in stored spermatozoa) when injected than when fed (Kortselius, 1979); this was attributed to its rapid decomposition in aqueous feeding solutions and its rapid degradation in vivo, which restricts its activity mainly to the site of application. Compared to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) on the basis of equal recessive lethal frequencies, BPL is a weak chromosome-breaking agent.…”