1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene

Genetic toxicity: in vitro

Administrative data

Endpoint:

in vitro gene mutation study in bacteria

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

key study

Study period:

2017

Reliability:

1 (reliable without restriction)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

guideline study

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

study report

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2017

Materials and methods

Test guideline

Test guideline 1

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

OECD Guideline 471 (Bacterial Reverse Mutation Assay)

Test guideline 2

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

EU Method B.13/14 (Mutagenicity - Reverse Mutation Test Using Bacteria)

GLP compliance:

yes (incl. QA statement)

Type of assay:

bacterial reverse mutation assay

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene

EC Number:

210-723-5

EC Name:

1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene

Cas Number:

622-20-8

Molecular formula:

C14H14S2

IUPAC Name:

1,1'-(ethane-1,2-diyldisulfanediyl)dibenzene

Specific details on test material used for the study:

Identification: 1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene
CAS Number: 622-20-8
Physical state/Appearance: White solid
Batch: 7061415
Purity: 100%
Expiry Date: 13 February 2019
Storage Conditions: Room temperature in the dark

Method

Species / strain

Species / strain 1

Species / strain / cell type:

S. typhimurium TA 1535, TA 1537, TA 98 and TA 100

Species / strain 2

Species / strain / cell type:

E. coli WP2 uvr A

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Metabolic activation system:

rat S9

Test concentrations with justification for top dose:

1.5, 5, 15, 50, 150, 500, 1500 and 5000 μg/plate

Vehicle / solvent:

DMSO

Controls

Untreated negative controls:

yes

Negative solvent / vehicle controls:

yes

Positive controls:

yes

Positive control substance:

4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide

9-aminoacridine

N-ethyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

benzo(a)pyrene

other: 2-Aminoanthracene

Details on test system and experimental conditions:

The five strains of bacteria used, and their mutations, are as follows: Salmonella typhimurium
Strains Genotype Type of mutations indicated
TA1537 his C 3076; rfa-; uvrB-: frame shift mutations
TA98 his D 3052; rfa-; uvrB-;R-factor
TA1535 his G 46; rfa-; uvrB-: base-pair substitutions
TA100 his G 46; rfa-; uvrB-;R-factor
Escherichia coli
Strain Genotype Type of mutations indicated
WP2uvrA trp-; uvrA-: base-pair substitution


All of the Salmonella strains are histidine dependent by virtue of a mutation through the histidine operon and are derived from S. typhimurium strain LT2 through mutations in the histidine locus. Additionally due to the "deep rough" (rfa-) mutation they possess a faulty lipopolysaccharide coat to the bacterial cell surface thus increasing the cell permeability to larger molecules. A further mutation, through the deletion of the uvrB- bio gene, causes an inactivation of the excision repair system and a dependence on exogenous biotin. In the strains TA98 and TA100, the R-factor plasmid pKM101 enhances chemical and UV-induced mutagenesis via an increase in the error-prone repair pathway. The plasmid also confers ampicillin resistance which acts as a convenient marker (Mortelmans and Zeiger, 2000). In addition to a mutation in the tryptophan operon, the E. coli tester strain contains a uvrA- DNA repair deficiency which enhances its sensitivity to some mutagenic compounds. This deficiency allows the strain to show enhanced mutability as the uvrA repair system would normally act to remove and repair the damaged section of the DNA molecule (Green and Muriel, 1976 and Mortelmans and Riccio, 2000).
The bacteria used in the test were obtained from:
• University of California, Berkeley, on culture discs, on 04 August 1995
• British Industrial Biological Research Association, on a nutrient agar plate, on 17 August 1987

All of the strains were stored at approximately -196 °C in a Statebourne liquid nitrogen freezer, model SXR 34.
In this assay, overnight sub-cultures of the appropriate coded stock cultures were prepared in nutrient broth (Oxoid Limited; lot number 1865318 05/21) and incubated at 37 °C for approximately 10 hours. Each culture was monitored spectrophotometrically for turbidity with titres determined by viable count analysis on nutrient agar plates.
Test Item Preparation and Analysis
The test item was insoluble in sterile distilled water at 50 mg/mL but was fully soluble in dimethyl sulphoxide at the same concentration in solubility checks performed in-house. Dimethyl sulphoxide was therefore selected as the vehicle.
The test item was accurately weighed and approximate half-log dilutions prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide by mixing on a vortex mixer on the day of each experiment. No correction for purity was required. Prior to use, the solvent was dried to remove water using molecular sieves i.e. 2 mm sodium alumino-silicate pellets with a nominal pore diameter of 4 x 10-4 microns.
All formulations were used within four hours of preparation and were assumed to be stable for this period. Analysis for concentration, homogeneity and stability of the test item formulations is not a requirement of the test guidelines and was, therefore, not determined. This is an exception with regard to GLP and has been reflected in the GLP compliance statement.
Dose selection
The test item was tested using the following method. The maximum concentration was 5000 μg/plate (the maximum recommended dose level). Eight concentrations of the test item (1.5, 5, 15, 50, 150, 500, 1500 and 5000 μg/plate) were assayed in triplicate against each tester strain, using the direct plate incorporation method.
Without Metabolic Activation
0.1 mL of the appropriate concentration of test item, solvent vehicle or appropriate positive control was added together with 0.1 mL of one of the bacterial strain cultures and 0.5 mL of phosphate buffer to 2 mL of molten, trace amino-acid supplemented media. These were then mixed and overlayed onto a Vogel-Bonner agar plate. Negative (untreated) controls were also performed on the same day as the mutation test. Each concentration of the test item, appropriate positive, vehicle and negative controls, and each bacterial strain, was assayed using triplicate plates.
With Metabolic Activation
The procedure was the same as described previously (see 3.3.2.2) except that following the addition of the test item formulation and bacterial culture, 0.5 mL of S9-mix was added to the molten, trace amino-acid supplemented media instead of phosphate buffer
Incubation and Scoring
All of the plates were incubated at 37 ± 3 °C for approximately 48 hours and scored for the presence of revertant colonies using an automated colony counting system. The plates were viewed microscopically for evidence of thinning (toxicity). Manual counts were performed at 5000 μg/plate because of test item precipitation. Several further manual counts were required due to revertant colonies spreading slightly, thus distorting the actual plate count.
Test for Mutagenicity: Experiment 2 – Pre-Incubation Method

As the result of Experiment 1 was deemed negative, Experiment 2 was performed using the pre-incubation method in the presence and absence of metabolic activation.

Dose selection

The dose range used for Experiment 2 was determined by the results of Experiment 1 and was 15 to 5000 μg/plate.
Six test item dose levels per bacterial strain were selected in the second mutation test in order to achieve both a minimum of four non-toxic dose levels and the potential toxic limit of the test item following the change in test methodology from plate incorporation to pre-incubation.
Without Metabolic Activation

0.1 mL of the appropriate bacterial strain culture, 0.5 mL of phosphate buffer and 0.1 mL of the test item formulation, solvent vehicle or 0.1 mL of appropriate positive control were incubated at 37 ± 3 °C for 20 minutes (with shaking) prior to addition of 2 mL of molten, trace amino-acid supplemented media and subsequent plating onto Vogel-Bonner plates. Negative (untreated) controls were also performed on the same day as the mutation test employing the plate incorporation method. All testing for this experiment was performed in triplicate.

With Metabolic Activation

The procedure was the same as described previously (see 3.3.3.2) except that following the addition of the test item formulation and bacterial strain culture, 0.5 mL of S9-mix was added to the tube instead of phosphate buffer, prior to incubation at 37 ± 3 °C for 20 minutes (with shaking) and addition of molten, trace amino-acid supplemented media. All testing for this experiment was performed in triplicate.

Incubation and Scoring
All of the plates were incubated at 37 ± 3 °C for approximately 48 hours and scored for the presence of revertant colonies using an automated colony counting system. The plates were viewed microscopically for evidence of thinning (toxicity). Manual counts were performed at 5000 μg/plate because of test item precipitation.

Evaluation criteria:

Evaluation Criteria
There are several criteria for determining a positive result. Any, one, or all of the following can be used to determine the overall result of the study:
1. A dose-related increase in mutant frequency over the dose range tested (De Serres and Shelby, 1979).
2. A reproducible increase at one or more concentrations.
3. Biological relevance against in-house historical control ranges.
4. Statistical analysis of data as determined by UKEMS (Mahon et al., 1989).
5. Fold increase greater than two times the concurrent solvent control for any tester strain (especially if accompanied by an out-of-historical range response (Cariello and Piegorsch, 1996)).
A test item will be considered non-mutagenic (negative) in the test system if the above criteria are not met. Although most experiments will give clear positive or negative results, in some instances the data generated will prohibit making a definite judgment about test item activity. Results of this type will be reported as equivocal.

Statistics:

Statistical significance was confirmed by using Dunnetts Regression Analysis (* = p < 0.05) for those values that indicate statistically significant increases in the frequency of revertant colonies compared to the concurrent solvent control.

Results and discussion

Test results

Test results 1

Species / strain:

S. typhimurium TA 1535

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Genotoxicity:

negative

Cytotoxicity / choice of top concentrations:

no cytotoxicity

Vehicle controls validity:

valid

Untreated negative controls validity:

valid

Positive controls validity:

valid

Test results 2

Species / strain:

S. typhimurium TA 1537

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Genotoxicity:

negative

Cytotoxicity / choice of top concentrations:

no cytotoxicity

Vehicle controls validity:

valid

Untreated negative controls validity:

valid

Positive controls validity:

valid

Test results 3

Species / strain:

S. typhimurium TA 98

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Genotoxicity:

negative

Cytotoxicity / choice of top concentrations:

no cytotoxicity

Vehicle controls validity:

valid

Untreated negative controls validity:

valid

Positive controls validity:

valid

Test results 4

Species / strain:

S. typhimurium TA 100

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Genotoxicity:

negative

Cytotoxicity / choice of top concentrations:

no cytotoxicity

Vehicle controls validity:

valid

Untreated negative controls validity:

valid

Positive controls validity:

valid

Test results 5

Species / strain:

E. coli WP2 uvr A

Metabolic activation:

with and without

Genotoxicity:

negative

Cytotoxicity / choice of top concentrations:

no cytotoxicity

Vehicle controls validity:

valid

Untreated negative controls validity:

valid

Positive controls validity:

valid

Any other information on results incl. tables

Prior to use, the master strains were checked for characteristics, viability and spontaneous reversion rate (all were found to be satisfactory). The amino acid supplemented top agar and the S9-mix used in both experiments was shown to be sterile. The test item formulation was also shown to be sterile. These data are not given in the report.

Results for the negative controls (spontaneous mutation rates) are presented in Table 1 and were considered to be acceptable. These data are for concurrent untreated control plates performed on the same day as the Mutation Test.

The vehicle (dimethyl sulphoxide) control plates gave counts of revertant colonies within the normal range. All of the positive control chemicals used in the test induced marked increases in the frequency of revertant colonies, both with or without metabolic activation. Thus, the sensitivity of the assay and the efficacy of the S9-mix were validated.

The individual plate counts, the mean number of revertant colonies and the standard deviations, for the test item, positive and vehicle controls, both with and without metabolic activation, are presented in Table 2 and Table 3 for Experiment 1 (plate incorporation method) and Table 4 and Table 5 for Experiment 2 (pre-incubation method).

A history profile of vehicle, untreated and positive control values (reference items) is presented in Appendix 1.

The maximum dose level of the test item in the first experiment was selected as the maximum recommended dose level of 5000 μg/plate. There was no visible reduction in the growth of the bacterial background lawn at any dose level, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activation (S9-mix), in the first mutation test (plate incorporation method) and consequently the same maximum dose level was used in the second mutation test. Similarly, there was no visible reduction in the growth of the bacterial background lawn at any dose level, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activation (S9-mix), in the second mutation test (pre-incubation method). A greasy, particulate, test item precipitate was noted at and above 1500 μg/plate, this observation did not prevent the scoring of revertant colonies.

There were no biologically relevant increases in the frequency of revertant colonies recorded for any of the bacterial strains, with any dose of the test item, either with or without metabolic activation (S9-mix), in Experiment 1 (plate incorporation method). Similarly, no increases in the frequency of revertant colonies were recorded for any of the bacterial strains, with any dose of the test item, either with or without metabolic activation (S9-mix), in Experiment 2 (pre-incubation method). Small, statistically significant increases in revertant colony frequency were observed in the first mutation test in the absence of S9-mix only at 1.5 μg/plate (TA1535) and 1500 μg/plate (WP2uvrA). These increases were considered to be of no biological relevance because there was no evidence of a dose-response relationship. Furthermore, the individual revertant counts at the statistically significant dose levels were either marginally above the maximum (TA1535) or within the in-house historical untreated/vehicle control range (WP2uvrA) for each tester strain and the mean maximum fold increase was only 1.5 times the concurrent vehicle controls.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Conclusions:

1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene was considered to be non-mutagenic under the conditions of this test.

Executive summary:

Introduction

 

The test method was designed to be compatible with the guidelines for bacterial mutagenicity testing published by the major Japanese Regulatory Authorities including METI, MHLW and MAFF, the OECD Guidelines for Testing of Chemicals No. 471 "Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test", Method B13/14 of Commission Regulation (EC) number 440/2008 of 30 May 2008 and the USA, EPA OCSPP harmonized guideline - Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test.

 

Methods

Salmonella typhimuriumstrains TA1535, TA1537, TA98 and TA100 andEscherichia colistrain WP2uvrAwere treated with the test item using both the Ames plate incorporation and pre-incubation methods at up to eight dose levels, in triplicate, both with and without the addition of a rat liver homogenate metabolizing system (10% liver S9 in standard co-factors). The dose range for Experiment 1 was predetermined and was 1.5 to 5000 μg/plate. The experiment was repeated on a separate day (pre-incubation method) using fresh cultures of the bacterial strains and fresh test item formulations. The dose range was amended following the results of Experiment 1 and was 15 to 5000 μg/plate. Six test item concentrations were selected in Experiment 2 in order to achieve both four non-toxic dose levels and the potential toxic limit of the test item following the change in test methodology.

 

Results

The vehicle (dimethyl sulphoxide) control plates gave counts of revertant colonies within the normal range. All of the positive control chemicals used in the test induced marked increases in the frequency of revertant colonies, both with or without metabolic activation. Thus, the sensitivity of the assay and the efficacy of the S9-mix were validated.

The maximum dose level of the test item in the first experiment was selected as the maximum recommended dose level of 5000 μg/plate. There was no visible reduction in the growth of the bacterial background lawn at any dose level, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activation (S9-mix), in the first mutation test (plate incorporation method) and consequently the same maximum dose level was used in the second mutation test. Similarly, there was no visible reduction in the growth of the bacterial background lawn at any dose level, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activation (S9-mix), in the second mutation test (pre-incubation method). A greasy, particulate, test item precipitate was noted at and above 1500 μg/plate, this observation did not prevent the scoring of revertant colonies.

There were no biologically relevant increases in the frequency of revertant colonies recorded for any of the bacterial strains, with any dose of the test item, either with or without metabolic activation (S9-mix), in Experiment 1 (plate incorporation method). Similarly, no increases in the frequency of revertant colonies were recorded for any of the bacterial strains, with any dose of the test item, either with or without metabolic activation (S9-mix), in Experiment 2 (pre-incubation method). Small, statistically significant increases in revertant colony frequency were observed in the first mutation test in the absence of S9-mix only at 1.5 μg/plate (TA1535) and 1500 μg/plate (WP2uvrA). These increases were considered to be of no biological relevance because there was no evidence of a dose-response relationship. Furthermore, the individual revertant counts at the statistically significant dose levels were either marginally above the maximum (TA1535) or within the in-house historical untreated/vehicle control range (WP2uvrA) for each tester strain and the mean maximum fold increase was only 1.5 times the concurrent vehicle controls.

 

Conclusion

1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(thio)]bisbenzene was considered to be non-mutagenic under the conditions of this test.