In general, negative results have been obtained in a relatively complete
battery of in vivo and in vitro mutagenicity tests, including gene mutation, chromosomal aberration, and
primary DNA damage (US EPA, 1997). Cumene was tested at concentrations
up to 2000 Κg/plate in a Salmonella typhimurium reverse mutation assay (modified Ames test); negative results were observed
with and without metabolic activation (Lawlor & Wagner, 1987). Cumene
was negative in an Ames assay at concentrations up to 3606 Κg/plate with
S. typhimurium strains TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537 (Florin et al., 1980). Cumene also tested negative, with and without metabolic activation,
in a set of HGPRT assays (using Chinese hamster ovary cells) at cumene
concentrations of 100-125 Κg/ml, at which the relative cloning efficiencies
(a measure of cytotoxicity) ranged from 29% to 110% (Gulf Life Sciences
Center, 1985a; Yang, 1987). A micronucleus assay performed in mice given
up to 1 g cumene/kg body weight by gavage was negative (Gulf Life Sciences
Center, 1985b). Micronucleus assays done in Fischer-344 rats, however,
gave values that were weakly positive, although little dose-response was
seen, and deaths occurred at the highest dose (5 of 10 animals at 2.5 g/kg
body weight intraperitoneally; NTP, 1996). The positive control used in
the micronucleus tests, cyclophosphamide, produced strong positive responses
in all assays.
Cumene failed to induce significant rates of transformation
in BALB/3T3 cells (without activation) at concentrations up to 500 Κg/ml
(Putnam, 1987) but tested positive in an earlier cell transformation test
also using BALB/3T3 cells, in which an increase in transformations was
observed at 60 Κg/ml (Gulf Oil Corp., 1984a). Results from an unscheduled
DNA synthesis assay in rat hepatocytes conducted by Gulf Oil Corp. (1984b)
indicated positive results at doses of 16 and 32 Κg cumene/ml (with 128
Κg/ml noted as toxic to the hepatocytes). However, apparent technical
difficulties with this test (US EPA, 1988) prompted a repeat of the unscheduled
DNA synthesis assay in rat hepatocytes, the results of which showed cumene
to be clearly negative at doses up to 24 Κg/ml, with doses above 24 Κg/ml
noted as being too toxic for evaluation of unscheduled DNA synthesis (Curren,
1987; US EPA, 1988).
References
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submission 40-8792124).
EFlorin I, Rutberg L, Curvall M, Enzell CR (1980) Screening of tobacco
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submission 888500694).
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section 4 submission 888500694).
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