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Mutagenic Activity of Rhodamine Dyes and Their Impurities as Detected by Mutation Induction in Salmonella and DNA Damage in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells¹

Mutagenesis Section, Environmental and Occupational Toxicology Division, [E. R. N., G. R. D., C. E. G., D. J. K.], and Drug Interactions Section, Drug Toxicology Division [T. I. M.], Health Protection Branch, Department of National Health and Welfare, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OL2, Canada

Commercial rhodamine dyes 6G and B induce His⁺ reversion mutations in Salmonella and single-strand breaks in Chinese hamster ovary cells, as detected by alkaline sucrose sedimentation. Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver homogenate (S9) is required for production of genetic activity by these dyes. Rhodamine 6G induces both frameshift and base substitution mutations, whereas rhodamine B induces only frameshift mutations. Rhodamine 6G is genetically more active and more toxic than is rhodamine B in both the bacterial and mammalian assays. Rhodamine 6G and B induce doublings of His⁺ revertants in Salmonella at the doses of 0.02 and 0.52 µmol/plate and shifts in the molecular weight of Chinese hamster ovary DNA at concentrations of 9 x 10^-5 and 9 x 10^-4 M, respectively. All genetic effects assayed demonstrate dose-related increases. Further testing of the pure dyes in Salmonella revealed that rhodamine B loses most of its mutagenicity with purification, whereas rhodamine 6G does not. Impurities from commercial rhodamine B demonstrate the same extent of mutagenicity as the commercial dye.

¹ Preliminary reports of this work were presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society, New Orleans, La., March 8 to 12, 1979.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 4/10/79. Accepted 7/25/79.

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