Enhancement and inhibition of mutation by o-vanillin in Escherichia coli

Synthesis, characterization and biocidal activities of some schiff base metal complexes

Some new mixed ligand complexes (1-5) of type ML'B (M(II)=Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II); HL'= o-vanillidene-2-aminobenzothiazole; B= 1,10-phenanthroline) and Schiff base metal complexes of types (ML(2)") (6-10) and (M(2)L") (11-15) (HL"= o-vanillidene-2-amino-N-(2-pyridyl)-benzene sulfonamide) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and spectral (IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR) studies. The free ligands and their metal complexes have been screened for their in vitro biological activities against bacteria, fungi and yeast. The metal complexes show more potent activities compared with Schiff base ligands.

The effect of phenolic and polyphenolic compounds on the development of drug resistance

The effect of two phenolic compounds vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) and lignin on the development of drug/antibiotic resistance in Salmonella typhimurium was studied. Using the modified Ames test we have shown that vanillin alone has negligible effect on spontaneous mutability to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin resistance. At the tested concentrations vanillin reduces the toxicity of 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4NQO) and reduces the ability of this compound to induce mutations leading to ciprofloxacin but not to gentamicin resistance. Lignin at higher concentrations increases mutagenicity to ciprofloxacin resistance and possess considerable inhibition effect on the spontaneous and 4NQO induced mutability to gentamicin resistance.

Ethidium bromide and SYBR Green I enhance the genotoxicity of UV-irradiation and chemical mutagens in E. coli

Ethidium bromide (EtBr) and SYBR Green I are nucleic acid gel stains and used commonly in combination with UV-illumination. EtBr preferentially induces frameshift mutations but only in the presence of an exogenous metabolic activation system, while SYBR Green I is a very weak mutagen that induces frameshift mutations. We found that EtBr and SYBR Green I, without an added metabolic activation system, strongly potentiated the base-substitution mutations induced by UV-irradiation in E. coli B/r WP2 cells. Each DNA stain alone showed no mutagenicity to the strain. Base-substitutions induced by 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX) and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide were similarly potentiated by EtBr and SYBR Green I. SYBR Green I had a much greater effect. No enhancing effects were observed on mutations induced by mitomycin C, cisplatin, transplatin, cumene hydroperoxide, base analogs, and alkylating agents. Another DNA stain, acridine orange, showed similar enhancing effects on UV- and MX-mutagenicity, but no effect was observed for 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). UV- and MX-induced mutations in E. coli WP2s (uvrA), which is defective in nucleotide excision repair activity, were not potentiated by the addition of EtBr, SYBR Green I, or acridine orange. Those nucleic acid stains might inhibit the nucleotide excision repair of DNA damaged by UV and MX treatment.

Suppression of furylfuramide-induced SOS response by acetophenones using Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 umu test

The recently isolated paeonol (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone), as one of the antimutagenic compounds from Discorea japonica, was used as a lead compound for detailed structure-activity relationship studies. Nine acetophenones (2-hydroxy-4-methoxy, 2-hydroxy-5-methoxy, 2-hydroxy-6-methoxy, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy, o-methoxy, m-methoxy, p-methoxy, and 2,5-dimethoxyacetophenone and acetophenone) were investigated for their ability of suppression of furylfuramide-induced SOS response using Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 in the umu test, against the mutagen, 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylamide (furylfuramide). The results showed that 2-hydroxy-6-methoxyacetophenone displayed the strongest activity (EC(50) = 0.6 micromol/mL), and a hydroxyl group at C-2 is necessary feature for acetophenone derivatives to show the suppressive effects of furylfuramide-induced SOS response.

Moscatilin from Dendrobium nobile, a naturally occurring bibenzyl compound with potential antimutagenic activity

A bibenzyl compound that possesses antimutagenic activity was isolated from the storage stem of Dendrobium nobile. The isolated compound suppressed the expression of the umu gene following the induction of SOS response in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 that have been treated with various mutagens. The suppressive compound was mainly localized in the n-hexane extract fraction of the processed D. nobile. This n-hexane fraction was further fractionated by silica gel column chromatography, which resulted in the purification and subsequent identification of the suppressive compound. EI-MS and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy were then used to delineate the structure of the compound that confers the observed antimutagenic activity. Comparison of the obtained spectrum with that found in the literature indicated that moscatilin is the secondary suppressive compound. When using 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylamide (furylfuramide) as the mutagen, moscatilin suppressed 85% of the umu gene expression compared to the controls at <0.73 micromol/mL, with an ID(50) value of 0.41 micromol/mL. Additionally, moscatilin was tested for its ability to suppress the mutagenic activity of other well-known mutagens such as 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), UV irradiation, 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3b]indole (Trp-P-1), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), and aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)). With all of the aforementioned chemicals or treatments, moscatilin showed a dramatic reduction in their mutagenic potential. Interestingly, moscatilin almost completely suppressed (97%) the AFB(1)-induced SOS response at concentrations <0.73 micromol/mL, with an ID(50) of 0.08 micromol/mL. Finally, the antimutagenic activities of moscatilin against furylfuramide and Trp-P-1 were assayed by the Ames test using the S. typhimurium TA100 strain. The results those experiments indicated that moscatilin demonstrated a dramatic suppression of the mutagenicity of only Trp-P-1 but not furylfuramide.

Mutation enhancing effect of o-vanillin in the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli: characterization of mutational spectrum

The enhancing effect of o-vanillin (2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenz-aldehyde) on mutations induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was characterized with mutational specificity. The mutational spectrum of MNNG-induced mutations in the presence of o-vanillin was compared with that in the absence of o-vanillin by means of a series of mutant lacZ genes in E. coli that can detect each of the six types of base substitutions and five kinds of frameshift events. In the absence of o-vanillin, the mutational spectrum induced by MNNG consisted mainly of G.C-->A.T transitions and, to a lesser extent, -1(G.C) frameshift mutations. By adding o-vanillin at 75 micrograms/plate, a marked enhancement was observed in two transitions, G.C-->A.T and A.T-->G.C, and in two frameshift mutations, +1(G.C) and -1(G.C). Only a small change was observed in the -2(C.G-G.C) fraction. Regarding the MNNG-induced frameshifts at the A.T base pair, the +1(A.T) frameshift was much more enhanced by o-vanillin than the -1(A.T) frameshift.

o-Vanillin enhances chromosome aberrations induced by alkylating agents in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The enhancing effects of o-vanillin (2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) on structural chromosome aberrations induced by alkylating agents were studied in cultured Chinese hamster cells. o-Vanillin was not a clastogen by itself. When cells were treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in the presence of 400 micrograms/ml of o-vanillin for 2 h, the frequency of aberrant cells with chromosome aberrations was increased 2.8-fold compared with cells treated with MNNG alone. The total number of breakage-type and exchange-type aberrations was increased 18.5- and 8.3-fold, respectively. The enhancing effects were also observed for chromosome aberrations induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea. On the other hand, those induced by N-butyl-N-nitrosourea were only slightly enhanced. The frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by mitomycin C or bleomycin was not changed by o-vanillin treatment. It was considered that DNA repair of methylated damage may be inhibited by o-vanillin.

Modification of genotoxicity by naturally occurring flavorings and their derivatives

The number of studies in the research field of antimutagenesis is increasing. The aims of many of these studies are preventing genetic hazards from environmental mutagens and elucidating the process of mutagenesis. Some naturally occurring flavorings such as vanillin, cinnamaldehyde, and coumarin have been reported to inhibit mutagenesis induced by mutagens in bacterial and mammalian cells. These flavorings are considered to act as antimutagens by modifying DNA replication and/or DNA repair systems after cellular DNA was damaged by mutagens. A factor that suppresses mutagenicity in a given situation, however, sometimes exerts enhancing effects when the endpoints investigated or the test conditions used are varied. This makes the evaluation of antimutagenic factors complicated. Different modifying effects of the above-mentioned flavorings observed in various test systems for genotoxicity are discussed, based on their proposed mechanisms.

Different modifications by vanillin in cytotoxicity and genetic changes induced by EMS and H2O2 in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The modifying effects of vanillin on the cytotoxicity and 6-thioguanine (6TG)-resistant mutations induced by two different types of chemical mutagens, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), were examined using cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells. The effects of vanillin on H2O2-induced chromosome aberrations were also examined. Vanillin had a dose-dependent enhancing effect on EMS-induced cytotoxicity and 6TG-resistant mutations, when cells were simultaneously treated with vanillin. The post-treatment with vanillin during the mutation expression time of cells after treatment with EMS also showed an enhancement of the frequency of mutations induced by EMS. However, vanillin suppressed the cytotoxicity induced by H2O2 when cells were post-treated with vanillin after H2O2 treatment. Vanillin showed no change in the absence of activity of H2O2 to induce mutations. Post-treatment with vanillin also suppressed the chromosome aberrations induced by H2O2. The differential effects of vanillin were probably due to the quality of mutagen-induced DNA lesions and vanillin might influence at least two different kinds of cellular repair functions. The mechanisms by which vanillin enhances or suppresses chemical-induced cytotoxicity, mutations and chromosome aberrations are discussed.

Inhibitory effect of cadmium and mercury ions on induction of the adaptive response in Escherichia coli

Cadmium and mercury ions inhibited the promotion of ada and alkA gene expression in the adaptive process induced by methylating agents such as N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and methyl iodide in Escherichia coli. In fact, the induction of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyl-transferase (MGTase) by MNU was suppressed in E. coli in the presence of these metal ions. These ions potentiated mutagenesis induced by methylating agents such as MNU and MMS, but not that induced by ethylating agents, UV irradiation, or N4-aminocytidine. These comutagenic effects were observed in wild-type and umuC36 strains of E. coli but not in the ada-5 strain, which is unable to induce the adaptive response. These results suggest that the comutagenic effects of Cd2+ and Hg2+ are due to inhibition of ada and alkA gene expression promoted by methylated MGTase.

Inhibition of induction of adaptive response by o-vanillin in Escherichia coli B

Mutations induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) were strongly enhanced in the presence of o-vanillin in E. coli B. The enhancement was also observed in uvrA, umuC, recA, polA, or alkB mutants. This effect was lower in an alkA mutant, but was restored in an alkA umuC double mutant. By contrast, the enhancing effect was almost blocked in an ada and ada umuC double mutant. It was necessary to add simultaneously MNNG and o-vanillin to the growth medium. Further investigations were conducted on the induction of ada and umuC genes using ada'-lacZ' and umuC'-lacZ' plasmids. o-Vanillin suppressed the induction of the ada gene by MNNG treatment, but not that of the umuC gene. In fact expression of the umuC gene was induced by lower concentrations of MNNG in the presence of o-vanillin. The results suggest that o-vanillin inhibits induction of the adaptive response, and consequently, the MNNG-induced mutation frequency is increased due to unrepaired O6-methylguanine.