GENOTOXIC EVALUATION OF 10 CARCINOGENS IN THE DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTERWING SPOT-TEST

To provide further background data on the wing spot somatic mutation a nd recombination assay, 10 selected carcinogens (acetamide, acrylamide , benzo(a)pyrene, cyclophosphamide, diethylstilbestrol, it-nitroquinol ine N-oxide, propyleneimine, safrole, thiourea, and o-toluidine) were tested in this assay. 72-h-old third-instar larvae, trans-heterozygous for 2 recessive wing cell markers: multiple wing hails (mwh) and flar e(3) (flr(3)) were fed with 3 concentrations of each carcinogen during the rest of their development until pupation, and the genotoxic effec ts were measured as significant increases in the appearance of visible mutant hair clones on the adult wing blade. Our results show that 6 o f the carcinogens tested produce significant increases in wing spot fr equency, at least at one of the concentrations assayed. Benzo(a)pyrene , diethylstilbestrol, safrole and thiourea were the compounds that did not increase the incidence of mutant clones.