MUTAGENICITY TESTING OF (+ -)-CAMPHOR, 1,8-CINEOLE, CITRAL, CITRONELLAL, (-)-MENTHOL AND TERPINEOL WITH THE SALMONELLA/MICROSOME ASSAY/

The essential oils and their monoterpenoid constituents have been wide ly used as fragrances in cosmetics, as flavouring food additives, as s centing agents in a variety of household products, as active ingredien ts in some old drugs, and as intermediates in the synthesis of perfume chemicals. The present study was undertaken to investigate the mutage nic potential of six monoterpenoid compounds: two aldehydes (citral an d citronellal), a ketone ((+/-)-camphor), an oxide (I,S-cineole, also known as eucalyptol), and two alcohols (terpineol and (-)-menthol). It is part of a more comprehensive toxicological screening of monoterpen es under way at our laboratory. Mutagenicity was evaluated by the Salm onella/microsome assay (TA97a, TA98, TA100 and TA102 tester strains), without and with addition of an extrinsic metabolic activation system (lyophilized rat liver S9 fraction induced by Aroclor 1254). In all ca ses, the upper limit of the dose interval tested was either the highes t non-toxic dose or the lowest dose of the monoterpene toxic to TA100 strain in the preliminary toxicity test. No mutagenic effect was found with(+/-) camphor, citral, citronellal, 1,8-cineole, and(-)-menthol. Terpineol caused a slight but dose-related increase in the number of h is(+) revertants with TA102 tester strain both without and with additi on of S9 mixture. The results from this study therefore suggest that, with the exception of terpineol, the monoterpenoid compounds tested ar e not mutagenic in the Ames test. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.