Original article

Scand J Work Environ Health 1976;2(3):147-151    pdf

https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.2813 | Issue date: Sep 1976

A study on the mutagenic activity of styrene and styrene oxide.

by Vainio H, Pääkkönen R, Rönnholm K, Raunio V, Pelkonen O

Styrene oxide is multagenic, without metabolic activation, to S. typhimurium strains TA 1535 and TA 100, which have been devised to detect mutagens causing base-pair substitutions. Styrene seems to be mutagenic toward the same strains, but only after metabolic activation. The toxicity of both styrene and styrene oxide make the construction of reliable dose-response curves rather difficult. Diethylmaleate and 3,3,3-trichloropropene oxide enhanced the mutagenicity of styrene oxide in the presence of homogenate; this result indicates the participation of epoxide hydratase and glutathione S-oxide transferase in the metabolism of styrene oxide. These two chemicals did not influence the mutagenic activity of styrene. Styrene glycol and 4-tert-butyl-brenzcatechin were not mutagenic to any of the strains studied. Results show that further, more detailed experimental and, possibly, epidemiologic studies are warranted.

The following article refers to this text: 1979;5(2):162-163