Mutagenicities of 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluenes and their reduced products in Salmonella typhimurium nitroreductase- and O-acetyltransferase-overproducing Ames test strains

Mutagenicities of 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,4-and 2,6-DNT), and reduced metabolites formed by the incubation of 2,4- and 2,6-DNT with Salmonella typhimurium TA98, were tested using S. typhimurium YG strains possessing high level of nitroreductase (NR) and/or O-acetyltransferase (OAT) activities. All compounds tested showed greatest mutagenic activities toward strains YG1041 and YG1042, which possess high levels of NR and OAT activities. The relative mutagenic activities of 2,4-DNT and its related compounds toward YG1041 and YG1042 were aminonitrotoluenes (2A4NT, 4A2NT)