Evaluation of the antimutagenic potential of chitosan oligosaccharide: Rec, Ames and Umu tests

Two types of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS), COS I (1-kDa < MW < 3-kDa) an d COS II (3-kDa < MW < 5-kDa), were tested for antimutagenic activities aga inst chemical mutagens using Umu gene expression, Ames, and Bacillus subtil is Rec mutagenicity tests. At the highest chitosan oligosaccharide dose (1 mg) tested, mutagenic activity of indirect-acting mutagen was inhibited by similar to 50% in the Umu gene expression system and in the Ames test. Chit osan oligosaccharide (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg) also suppressed 4-nitroquinoline- N-oxide (NQO)-induced mutagenicity in the B. subtilis Rec(-) assay.