ANTIGENOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF CHITIN AND CHITOSAN AS ASSAYED BY SISTER-CHROMATID EXCHANGE

The antigenotoxic activities of chitin and chitosan were studied using sister chromatid exchange assay by examining the adsorption of four k inds of mutagens. These two dietary animal fibers showed similar patte rns in reducing the genotoxicity of aqueous solutions of the hydrophob ic mutagens, 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide and dinitropyrene, in distilled water. Under similar conditions, the antigenotoxic activities of chiti n and chitosan for mitomycin C were 87 and 0%, and those for adriamyci n were 47 and 78%, respectively. In addition, the antigenotoxic activi ty of both fibers for MMC was affected by the pH value of the aqueous solution between 2.5 and 7.2, but that of ADM was not. The results dem onstrate that chitin and chitosan may have protective effects against environmental mutagens by adsorbing them in ionic and nonionic solutio ns.