Abstract
The Salmonella mutagenesis assay was used to study the influence of antioxidants on the mutagenic activities of carcinogens. The assay allowed us to determine which antioxidant would affect a carcinogen's in vitro mutagenic activity as well as to estimate the relative effectiveness of each antioxidant as a carcinogen inhibitor. Antioxidants studied included cysteamine, disulfiram, butylated hydroxyanisole, propyl gal late, sodium selenite, sodium bisulfite, α‐tocopherol succinate and sodium ascorbate. The mutagenic activity of N‐methyl‐N'‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine was most effectively inhibited by cysteamine and sodium bisulfite with selenite, propyl gallate and sodium ascorbate being only slightly less effective. Propyl gal late, selenite and cysteamine had a similar ability to inhibit N‐acetoxy‐2‐acetylaminofluorene‐induced mutagenesis, whereas the addition of sodium bisulfite, sodium ascorbate and disulfiram had no detectable inhibitory effect on this carcinogen. Butylated hydroxyanisole and α‐tocopherol succinate did not affect the mutagenic activity of either carcinogen. It was also observed that dimethyl sulfoxide, when used as a solvent, could significantly affect the measurement of an antioxidant's efficiency as an inhibitor of carcinogen‐induced mutagenesis. The results obtained indicate the necessity of studying an antioxidant's effect on numerous carcinogens prior to drawing any conclusions as to the potential use of the antioxidant as a carcinogen inhibitor.