Mutagenicity of oxygen free radicals.

Paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride) was used as an intracellular generator of oxygen free radicals and was found to be highly mutagenic for Salmonella typhimurium. It caused both base-pair substitution and frameshift mutations. Paraquat was much more toxic and mutagenic in a simple nutritionally restricted medium than in a rich complex medium. The mutagenicity of paraquat was dependent upon the presence of a supply of both electrons and oxygen. Cells containing high levels of superoxide dismutase (superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) were more resistant to the toxicity and the mutagenicity of paraquat than were cells containing normal levels of this enzyme. The mutagenicity of paraquat thus appears to be due to its ability to exacerbate the intracellular production of superoxide radicals.