Macrocyclic musk compounds--an absence of genotoxicity in the Ames test and the in vivo Micronucleus assay.

Three synthetic macrocyclic musks, ethylene dodecanedioate, ethylene brassylate, and cyclopentadecanolide, which are widely used as ingredients of perfume fragrances, were tested for genotoxicity. In this report we present results from two different studies, the flow-cytometer-based micronucleus assay in peripheral blood of mice and the Salmonella/microsome test with TA 97, TA 98, and TA 100. Female NMRI and male CD 1 mice were intraperitoneally injected with one of the three macrocyclic musk compounds. Three different doses (0.1-1.6 g/kg bw) of each of the compounds were tested. Blood samples were collected on two occasions from each mouse and the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (fMPCE) was determined. Neither of the compounds caused a significant difference from the control fMPCE. No mutagenic effect with and without S9 mix in the tested Salmonella strains was observed. The presence of S9 mix reduced the killing effect of high doses.