THE MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF UNPOLYMERIZED RESIN MONOMERS IN SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM AND V79 CELLS

Dimethacrylate derivatives are used as monomers to polymerize dental c omposite materials and for a great variety of other industrial resins. Occupational exposure is likely in various ways because of the many a reas of methacrylate application. Here, the mutagenicity of the monome rs, bisphenol A-diglycidyl dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA), urethane dimethac rylate (UDMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), Bisphenol A (BPA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and 2- hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was studied in a bacterial (Ames test ) and a mammalian gene mutation assay (V79/HPRT assay). Mutagenicity w as determined in different Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA97a, TA98 , TA100, TA102) and in V79 cells in the presence and in the absence of a metabolically active microsomal fraction from rat liver (S9). No mu tagenic effects were observed with Bis-GMA and UDMA, methyl methacryla te, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and bisphenol A. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was mutagenic in a dose-dependent manner in three Salmonella te ster strains. The number of mutants was increased by a factor of 2 to 3 with strains TA97a and TA102 in the absence of S9. Moreover, the num bers of mutants induced in S. typhimurium TA100 were about 8-fold high er than in solvent controls. GMA also induced an increase of mutants i n V79 cells in the absence of S9. However, GMA was inactivated by micr osomal enzymes. Triethylenglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was not mutag enic in any S. typhimurium. In contrast, the compound induced a dose-d ependent rise in mutant frequencies in V79 cell cultures. It is conclu ded that TEGDMA acted through a clastogenic mechanism which is not det ected by Ames tester strains. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.