The use of adult rat liver cultures in the detection of the genotoxicity of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The hepatocyte primary culture (HPC)--DNA repair test and the adult rat liver epithelial cell (ARL)--hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) mutagenesis assay are two in vitro short-term tests that possess intrinsic capability for xenobiotic biotransformation. Both assays detected the genotoxicity of a variety of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, these two tests, which embody intact cellular metabolism, are useful for the evaluation of this class of carcinogens and provide results that strengthen those obtained in tests dependent upon subcellular metabolism.