Nonmutagenicity in vivo of the food flavonol quercetin.

Mice given quercetin per os at concentrations that were about 10(3) times greater than the estimated average human intake of total flavonols were tested for mutagenicity with 2 complementary in vivo mutagenicity/carcinogenicity screening tests--the micronucleus test and the host-mediated assay employing the Ames Salmonella tester strain TA 98 as indicator organism. No mutagenic effect was detected with either test.