title: Mutagenicity of aristolochic acid in the lambda/lacZ transgenic mouse (MutaMouse).
abstract: Aristolochic acid (AA) is found in a plant that causes urothelial carcinomas in patients with Chinese herb nephropathy (CHN). To evaluate the in vivo mutagenicity of AA, we analysed the mutant frequency (MF) in the lacZ and cII gene of 10 organs of the lambda/lacZ transgenic mouse (MutaMouse) after intragastric treatment with AA (15mg/kg per week x 4). Simultaneously, the clastogenicity of AA was evaluated by the peripheral blood micronucleus assay. The nature of the mutations induced by AA was revealed by the sequence analysis of the cII gene, which is also a phenotypically selectable marker in the lambda transgene. MFs in the target organs-forestomach, kidney, and bladder of AA-treated mice were significantly higher than those of control mice (forestomach 33- and 15-fold; kidney 10- and 9-fold; bladder 16- and 31-fold, for the lacZ and cII, respectively). The MFs in non-target organs, except the colon, showed only slight increases. Sequence analysis of cII mutants in target organs revealed that AA induced mainly A:T to T:A transversions whereas G:C to A:T transitions at CpG sites predominated among spontaneous mutations. These results suggested that AA, which is activated by cytochrome P450 and peroxidase to form cyclic nitrenium ions that bind to deoxyadenine, caused the A to T transversions in the target organs of mice.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics and Mutagenesis, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, 158-8501, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Arihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohara
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohwada
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D034341:Aristolochic Acids; D001483:Base Sequence; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D009154:Mutation; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D034341:Aristolochic Acids; D009153:Mutagens; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins; C039000:cII protein, bacteriophage lambda; C000228:aristolochic acid I