Antimutagenic profile of three antioxidants in the Ames assay and the Drosophila wing spot test.

Antimutagens and anticarcinogens are known to play an important role in combating the action of factors involved in the etiology of cancer. It is expected that inhibitors of mutagenesis also act as inhibitors of carcinogenesis. In the present study, two short-term genotoxicity assays, namely the Ames assay and the Drosophila wing spot test, have been selected for examining the antimutagenic potential of three antioxidants. For this purpose, a promutagen aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) was chosen as a positive mutagen against which antimutagenic potential of alpha-tocopherol (Vit. E), caffeic acid (CA) and glutathione (GSH) was assessed. Vit. E did not exert any antimutagenic response while CA and GSH were effective in reducing the mutational events induced by AFB(1).