Cocytotoxicity/Comutagenicity of Arsenic in a Chinese Hamster Ovary Triple Auxotroph

摘要

Among four forms of As that are measurable in human tissues (arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonate, and dimethylarsinate), non-cytotoxic concentrations of arsenite specifically enhance cell killing by various mutagenic agents in a Chinese hamster ovary auxotroph that requires glycine + adenosine + thymidine (CHO AUXB1). Arsenite is cocytotoxic at low concentrations of 2 to 12 mu M. It is also the most growth rate inhibitory and cytotoxic of these As compounds, when each is incubated alone in AUXB1 cell cultures. None of these four As compounds are mutagenic per se, using an assay that we have developed to measure reversion to prototrophy at the FPGS gene locus. But arsenite (10 mu M) specifically enhances induced reversion by the direct acting chemical mutagens cis-Pt(NH sub 3 ) sub 2 Cl sub 2 , methylglyoxal, and glycidal with which it is also cocytotoxic. Its comutagenicity with other agents is being tested. The foregoing experiments represent the first systematic comparison in mammalian cells of As growth inhibition, cytotoxicity, and mutagenicity versus its chemical form. Moreover, they provide the first evidence for the specific cocytotoxicity/comutagenicity of trivalent As in a mammalian cell line. Our findings support the suggestion that one role of As in its association with cancer could be to serve as a cocarcinogen. By functioning as a comutagen, perhaps through the inhibition of DNA repair, trivalent As may increase the initiation of tumor formation by enhancing the mutagenic activities of a large collection of primary environmental carcinogens. 55 references, 11 figures. (ERA citation 10:003498)