Automated In Vitro Micronucleus Testing of Natural Compounds in Correlation with Hydrogen Peroxide

摘要

The in vitro micronucleus test (MNT) is a well-accepted technique for assessing the clastogenic/ aneugenic potential of compounds. In a high content screening (HCS) approach we measure micronucleus induction in CHO cells. The fully automated evaluation of micronuclei is based on fluorescent image analysis. Similar to other mammalian genotoxicity tests, the in vitro MNT is characterized by a low specificity, meaning that this assay is prone to false-positive results. Some natural, anti-oxidative compounds like polyphenols have been shown to become pro-oxidative under certain culture conditions leading to the formation of peroxides, which may result in a positive in vitro MNT. This effect is an in vitro artefact and does not occur in vivo.