Abstract
A simple modification of the Salmonella/microsome liquid-incubation procedure improves the sensitivity of the assay for detecting mutagens in human urine. Extracts from cigarette smokers' urine were used as a model complex mutagenic mixture for validation of the assay. The modification consists of adding increased numbers of bacterial cells (approximately 10 9) in a concentrated suspension to liver homogenate mix and urine extract, all in 0.2-ml volume. After 90 min incubation at 37°C, the mixture is processed according to the standard Ames test protocol. This procedure is 20 times more sensitive than the standard plate-incorporation test and 13 times more sensitive than a previously reported liquid-incubation protocol. The number of spontaneous revertants did not increase under these conditions and, compared to the plate-incorporation test, 10-fold less liver homogenate and 5-fold less enzymatic cofactors were needed per plate. The procedure was approximately 14 times more sensitive in detecting the mutagenic activity of benzo[ a]pyrene. We also used the modification to determine mutagenic activity in urine from a group of non-smokers. The method may be generally useful for investigations of mutagenic activity in human urine samples.
Published Version
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