INHIBITION OF THE MUTAGENICITY OF 2-NITROFLUORENE, 3-NITROFLUORANTHENE AND 1-NITROPYRENE BY VITAMINS, PORPHYRINS AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS, ANDVEGETABLE AND FRUIT JUICES AND SOLVENT EXTRACTS

When 21 vitamins including related compounds haemin, chlorophyllin, ch lorophyll, biliverdin and bilirubin. as well as juices from five fruit s and 25 vegetables and solvent extracts from the residues of fruits a nd vegetables were tested for their antimutagenic potencies with respe ct to mutagenicity induced by 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF), 3-nitrofluoranth ene (3-NFA) and 1-nitropyrene(1-NP) in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 the following results were obtained. The tetracyclic nitroarenes 3-NFA an d I-NP were in general more effectively antagonized by potent antimuta genic compounds than the tricyclic 2-NF. beta-Carotene, retinol, retin al, retinoic acid, retinol palmitate, riboflavin 5'-phosphate, alpha-t ocopherol, vitamins B-12, C, K-1 and K-3 as well as biliverdin, biliru bin, chlorophyll, chlorophyllin and haemin exerted antimutagenicity ag ainst the nitroarenes cited previously. All other vitamins were inacti ve. While part of the juices were inactive, juices from cauliflower, c arrots, chives, radishes and spinach exerted weak antimutagenic activi ties. However, weak to moderate co-mutagenic effects were seen with gr apes, kiwi, pineapple, eggplant, celeriac, chicory greens, fennel leav es and radishes and strong effects with peppers which were not caused by the presence of growth-promoting factors. Most solvent fractions we re inactive but fractions containing chlorophyll exerted antimutagenic ity. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.