Mutagenicity of 2-hydroxyalkyl-N-nitrosothiazolidines

Abstract The mutagenicity of 2-hydroxyalkyl- N -nitrosothiazolidines was tested using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. The N -nitrosothiazolidines tested were unsubstituted N -nitrosothiazolidine (NT), N -nitrosothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (NTC), 2-hydroxymethyl- N -nitrosothiazolidine (HMNT), 2-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)- N -nitrosothiazolidine, 2-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxypentyl)- N -nitrosothiazolidine, 2-(1,2,3,4,5-pentahydroxypentyl)- N -nitrosothiazolidine (PHPNT) and 2-(1,2,3,4,5-pentahydroxypentyl)- N -nitrosothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid. Among the N -nitrosothiazolidines tested, only HMNT and PHPNT exhibited clear dose-response mutagenicity toward strain TA100 with or without metabolic activation. None of the 2-hydroxyalkyl- N -nitrosothiazolidines were mutagenic to strain TA98. NT exhibited much stronger mutagenicity than either HMNT or PHPNT. Mutagenic activities of NT and PHPNT were eliminated by carboxyl substitution in the position α to the N -nitroso group.