Abstract
The effect was studied of such mutagens as 3-amino-1-dimethyl-5H-pyridol[4, 3-b]indole (Trp-P2), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-acrylamide (AF2), 5-hydroxymethyI-2-furfural (HMF) and pyrrole on the viability and activity of some enzymes of a human histiocytic lymphoma cell line, U-937, cultured in a serum-free medium. Incubation of U-937 with the mutagens for 12 hr at 37°C in the serum-free medium reduced the viability of the U-937 cells. Especially, Trp-P-2 and MNNG reduced it markedly. Trp-P-2, MNNG, AF-2 and HMF were also found to decrease the formation of formazan in the U-937 cells. AH the mutagens slightly increased the activity of a drug-metabolizing enzyme, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, in the cells. They also caused a variation of such enzyme activities in the cells as glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), catalase and alkaline phosphatase. Leakage of the activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and GOT from the U-937 cells into the culture medium was also observed, especially when the cells were treated with high concentration of Trp-P-2, MNNG and AF-2. No marked effect of Trp-P-2 and MNNG on the activity of β-gaIactosidase was observed.
