MUTAGENICITY OF TETRANITROAZOXYTOLUENES - A PRELIMINARY SCREENING IN SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM STRAINS TA100 AND TA100NR

Tetranitroazoxytoluenes are polynitroaromatic compounds that can be pr oduced during the microbial reduction of the explosive, 2,4,6-trinitro toluene (TNT). The three major tetranitroazoxytoluenes were synthesize d and tested in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 and TA100NR. All compounds were mutagenic in TA100 but not in TA100NR, indicating the n eed for nitroreductase activity to induce mutagenicity. The most activ e chemical was 4,4',6,6'-tetranitro-2,2'-azoxytoluene (2735 rev/mu mol ) followed by 2',4,6,6'-tetranitro-2',4-azoxytoluene (929 rev/mu mol) and 2,2',6,6'-tetranitro-4,4'-azoxytoluene (320 rev/mu mol). These che micals were more active than the aminodinitrotoluenes (298 rev/mu mol for 2-amino-3,6-dinitrotoluene and 115 rev/mu mol for 4-amino-2,6-dini trotoluene) and only 4,4',6,6'-tetranitro-2,2'-azoxytoluene was more a ctive than the parent compound, TNT (1022 rev/mu mol).