title: Antimutagenic effect of crown ethers on heavy metal-induced sister chromatid exchanges.
abstract: Macrocyclic polyethers (crown ethers) are a family of compounds that possess the ability to complex with and transport metal ions across membranes. Because of their unique ionophoric characteristic, they have wide application in industry and research, chemistry and biology. In the current investigation the relationship between heavy metal mutagenesis and crown ether co-mutagenicity and/or antimutagenicity in mammalian cells has been examined using sister chromatid exchange (SCE) as the cytogenetic end point. Chinese hamster ovary cells were treated with lead or cadmium, with and without selected crown ethers. Several genotoxic end points, including SCEs were scored and statistically compared. We report here that most of the crown ethers studied had little or no influence on lead- or cadmium-induced SCEs or chromosome aberrations. On the other hand, the substituted crown ether dicyclohexyl 21-crown-7 significantly decreased both spontaneous and metal-induced SCE frequencies, suggesting that this crown ether may possess antimutagenic activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso 79968, USA.
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arenaz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D016466:CHO Cells; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D004988:Ethers, Cyclic / Q000633:toxicity*; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D008940:Mitotic Index / Q000187:drug effects; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D009566:Nitrates / Q000633:toxicity*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D004988:Ethers, Cyclic; D009153:Mutagens; D009566:Nitrates; D007854:Lead; C017461:lead nitrate; D019256:Cadmium Chloride