Analytical methods in bioassay-directed investigations of mutagenicity of air particulate material

The combination of short-term bioassays and analytical chemical techniques has been successfully used in the identification of a variety of mutagenic compounds in complex mixtures. Much of the early work in the field of bioassay-directed fractionation resulted from the development of a short-term bacterial assay employing Salmonella typhimurium; this assay is commonly known as the Ames assay. Ideally, analytical methods for assessment of mutagenicity of any environmental matrix should exhibit characteristics including high capacity, good selectivity, good analytical resolution, non-destructiveness, and reproducibility. A variety of extraction solvents have been employed in investigations of mutagenicity of air particulate; sequential combination of dichloromethane followed by methanol is most popular. Soxhlet extraction has been the most common extraction method, followed by sonication. Attempts at initial fractionation using different extraction solvents have met with limited success and highlight the need for fractionation schemes applicable to moderately polar and polar mutagenic compounds. Fractionation methods reported in the literature are reviewed according to three general schemas: (i) acid/base/neutral partitioning followed by fractionation using open-column chromatography and/or HPLC; (ii) fractionation based on normal-phase (NP) HPLC using a cyanopropyl or chemically similar stationary phase; and (iii) fractionation by open-column chromatography followed by NP-HPLC. The HPLC methods may be preparative, semi-preparative, or analytical scale. Variations based on acid/base/neutral partitioning followed by a chromatographic separation have also been employed. Other lesser-used approaches involve fractionation based on ion-exchange and thin-layer chromatographies. Although some of the methodologies used in contemporary studies of mutagenicity of air particulate do not represent significant advances in technology over the past 30 years, their simplicity, low cost, effectiveness, and robustness combine to result in their continued application in modern laboratories.