INDUCTION OF ADAPTIVE RESPONSE BY NITROFURANTOIN AGAINST OXIDATIVE DNA-DAMAGE IN SOME BACTERIAL-CELLS

Pretreatment with a sublethal dose of nitrofurantoin did not give any protection to Vibrio cholerae OGAWA 154 (wild-type) cells against subs equent treatment with challenging doses of MNNG and vice versa. Howeve r, pretreatment with a sublethal dose of nitrofurantoin offered signif icant protection to the bacterial cells against subsequent treatment w ith challenging doses of H2O2 and vice versa. Further, sublethal doses of nitrofurantoin or H2O2 produced almost the same degree of protecti on against challenges by H2O2 or nitrofurantoin. Both the alkylating a gent MNNG and the oxidative agent H2O2 induced adaptive responses in V ibrio cholerae OGAWA 154 cells against subsequent challenge by the res pective agents. The experiments presented in this communication reveal ed that nitrofurantoin produced an adaptive response in bacterial cell s against oxidative and not alkylating DNA damage.