BACTERIAL MUTAGENIC EVALUATION OF LUXABENDAZOLE, A NEW BROAD-SPECTRUMANTHELMINTIC, WITH THE SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM HIS(-) AND THE ESCHERICHIA-COLI TRYP(-) REVERSION TESTS

Luxabendazole is a new benzimidazole carbamate chemotherapeutic agent, which has proved to be effective against adult and immature stages of the major gastrointestinal nematodes, trematodes and cestodes, The mu tagenic properties of Luxabendazole were investigated in the in vitro Ames Salmonella and E,coli tests, The product was tested at concentrat ions of 0.5, 5, 50, 500, 1250 and 2500 mu g/plate in the TA1535, TA153 8, TA98 and TA100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium, and 0.5, 5, 50 an d 500 mu g/plate in the WP2, WP2 uvrA(-) and its pKM 101-containing de rivative CM891 (WP2 uvrA(-) pKM101) strains of Escherichia coil, with and without S9 microsomal activation (postmitochondrial liver fraction from Wistar rats pretreated with Aroclor(R)), Positive and negative c ontrols were included in each experiment, From the present study it ca n be concluded that Luxabendazole, over a dose range of 0.5-2500 mu g/ plate, is unlikely to present a mutagenic hazard, as demonstrated by t he Ames test.