Mutagenic activity of newly synthesized sulfa drugs to Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract

The mutagenic activity of seven newly synthesized sulfa drugs was studied in Salmonella typhimurium, using forward mutation to 8-azaguanine (8-AG) resistance and reversion mutation assays (Ames test) both in the absence and presence of Aroclor induced rat liver S9. In forward mutation assays, N 1-methylsulfanilamide, N 4-acetyl- N 1-methylsulfanilamide and N 4-acetyl- N 1-diethylsulfanilamide were mutagenic to S. typhimurium TM677 both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation while N 4-acetylsulfanilamide, N 1-diethylsulfanilamide and 4-nitro- N-2-pyridinylbenzenesulfonamide [2-( p-nitrobenzenesulfonamido)pyridine] were mutagenic only in the presence of metabolic activation. But 2-( N 4-acetylsulfanilamido)pyridine was mutagenic in neither the presence nor the absence of metabolic activation. However, none of the seven compounds had any mutagenic effect on S. typhimurium TA98 or TA100 in the absence or presence of metabolic activation, by the Ames test preincubation method. The relationship between the structure of the compounds and their mutagenic activity is also discussed.