Comparative Study of the DNA-Damaging Activity of Epichlorohydrin Using Escherichia coli Biosensors and the Comet Assay Method in Mice

A comparative study of the genotoxic effects of methylmethanesulfonate (MMS) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) was performed using bacterial E. coli biosensors and the comet assay method in mice. ECH was shown to induce weaker SOS response and expression of the alkA gene in bacterial cells compared to MMS. In vivo experiments on mice using the comet assay method showed DNA-damaging activity of ECH in cells of the liver, kidneys, and lungs after 3 h of exposure, same as of MMS. The levels of DNA damage caused by ECH in these organs after exposure for 3 h were lower than for MMS. The genotoxic effect of ECH after 18 h of exposure was statistically significant only in a dose of 20 mg/kg in kidney cells.