REVIEW OF MUTAGENICITY OF MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC-AMINES - QUANTITATIVE STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY-RELATIONSHIPS

Monocyclic aromatic amines (MAAs) are environmental pollutants. Many o f them are genotoxic and impose hazards to human health, The mutagenic ity of more than 80 of these amines was reviewed with primary emphasis on evaluation by the Ames Salmonella/microsome testing system. Many a mines are mutagenic in Salmonella tester strains TA98 and TA100, but S 9 mix is required for activity for most of the active ones. 2,4-Diamin otoluene, 2,4-diaminoethylbenzene, and a few amines containing a nitro -group are direct mutagens. There are several quantitative structure-a ctivity relationship (QSAR) models which rationalize mutagenicity of m any aromatic amines and several parameters, such as the lowest unoccup ied molecular orbital energy (E-LUMO), highest occupied molecular orbi tal energy (E-HOMO), and hydrophobicity that are important. What facto rs determine the minimum requirement for the compound to be mutagenic and what factors determine the extent of mutagenicity suggest question s for further study. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.