V79 Chinese hamster cells deacetylate trans-N-acetoxy-4-acetylaminostilbene and trans-N-hydroxy-4-acetylaminostilbene to mutagenic and cytotoxic metabolites.

The N-acetoxy and N-hydroxy derivatives of trans-4-acetylaminostilbene (AAS) were demonstrated to induce gene mutations at the hgprt locus and to be cytotoxic in V79 cells. These cells deacetylated AAS. Paraoxon inhibited the deacetylation of AAS by more than 99% and reduced the mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of N-hydroxy-AAS and N-acetoxy-AAS to about one-tenth. Hence, deacetylated metabolites, formed by the target cells, were important for the observed biological effects.