MUTAGENICITY OF 4 HOMO-AZA-STEROIDAL ESTERS OF M-N, N-BIS(2-CHLOROETHYL)AMINOCINNAMIC ACID IN THE AMES TEST

Four new chemicals, the homo-aza-steroidal esters of m-N,N-bis(2-chlor oethyl)aminocinnamic acid, originaly synthesized to be used as antineo plastic agents, were tested for their mutagenic activity in the Ames t est. 3 beta-Hydroxy-13 a-amino-13,17-seco-5-androsten-17-oic-13,17-lac tam ester (ACALE3) and 3 alpha-hydroxy-13 alpha-amino-13,17-seco-5 alp ha-androstan-17-oic-13,17-lactam ester of m-N,N-bis(2-chloro-ethyl)ami nocinnamic acid (ACALE4) were found to induce base-pair substitutions, causing dose-dependent increases in his(+) revertants in strains TA10 0 and TA1535, while no dose-dependent relations were established when 3 beta-hydroxy-13 alpha-amino-13,17-seco-5 alpha-androstan-17-oic-13,1 7-lactam ester (ACALE1) and 17 beta-hydroxy-3-aza-A-homo-4 alpha-andro sten-4-one ester of m-N,N-bis(2-chroroethyl)aminocinnamic acid (ACALE2 ) were tested. The presence of metabolic activation enzymes in the tes t system had no effect in his(+) revertants in strains TA100 and TA153 5. The chemicals tested although having the same alkylating moiety and a similar chemical structure exhibited different mutagenic activities .