GENOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF IMPORTANT NITROBENZENES AND NITROANILINES IN THE AMES TEST AND THEIR STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP

The most important commercially available nitro-and aminobenzenes and the explosive trinitrobenzene were tested for mutagenicity in the Salm onella typhymurium TA 98 and TA 100 both in the absence and presence o f S 9. Ten of the 14 compounds tested (71%) were mutagenic. All the su bstances showed positive results in TA 98 and 4 substances were also m utagenic in TA 100. The three diaminobenzenes and 4-nitroaniline were mutagenic only with metabolic activation. All other compounds did not require the addition of S 9. Only nitrobenzene, 1,2-dinitrobenzene, an iline and 2-nitroaniline were negative in both strains. In summary, al l substances that are derived from nitrobenzene or aniline by addition of a nitro group in the meta- or para-position were mutagenic, wherea s nitrobenzene and aniline themselves and their ortho-derivates were n onmutagenic. The possible relationships between the position of the su bstituents and the mutagenicity are discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce B.V.