COLON-SPECIFIC GENOTOXICITY OF HETEROCYCLIC AMINES DETECTED BY THE MODIFIED ALKALINE SINGLE-CELL GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS ASSAY OF MULTIPLE MOUSE ORGANS

The in vivo genotoxicity of five heterocyclic amines-Trp-P-2 (13 mg/kg ), IQ (13 mg/kg), MeIQ (13 mg/kg), MeIQx (13 mg/kg), and PhIP (40 mg/k g)-in the mucosa of gastrointestinal and urinary tract organs (stomach , duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon, and bladder) was studied by the alk aline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) (Comet) assay. Male CD-1 m ice were sacrificed 1, 3, and 8 h after intraperitoneal injection. All the heterocyclic amines studied yielded statistically significant DNA damage in the colon but not the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, a nd ileum) or urinary bladder. In this study, five heterocyclic amines were injected intraperitoneally to avoid the consequences of ingestion . Thus, the extensive damage to colon DNA was concluded to be due, at least in part, to a systemic effect. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.