Genetic activity of the human carcinogen sulphur mustard towards Salmonella and the mouse bone marrow

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 14, 2026

Chronic Salmonella Infected Mouse Model
09:01

Chronic Salmonella Infected Mouse Model

Published on: May 31, 2010

J Ashby1, H Tinwell, R D Callander

  • 1ICI Central Toxicology Laboratory, Macclesfield, Ches., Great Britain.

Mutation Research
|May 1, 1991
PubMed

Insights

Sulphur mustard is mutagenic to bacteria and induces micronuclei in mice. This genotoxicity data supports the classification of sulphur mustard as a human carcinogen.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Genetics
  • Carcinogenesis

Background:

  • Sulphur mustard is a chemical warfare agent with known toxic properties.
  • Genotoxicity is a key indicator of potential carcinogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the mutagenic potential of sulphur mustard in bacterial assays.
  • To assess the genotoxic effects of sulphur mustard in mammalian systems.

Main Methods:

  • Bacterial mutagenicity assay using a repair-proficient strain (uvrB+) of Salmonella typhimurium (strain G46).
  • In vivo micronucleus test in mouse bone marrow.

Main Results:

  • Sulphur mustard demonstrated clear mutagenicity in the Salmonella typhimurium assay.
  • Sulphur mustard was identified as a micronucleus-inducing agent in mouse bone marrow.

Conclusions:

  • Sulphur mustard exhibits genotoxic activity in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems.
  • The genotoxicity of sulphur mustard aligns with the characteristics of known human carcinogens.

More Related Videos

Transgenic Rodent Assay for Quantifying Male Germ Cell Mutant Frequency14:45

Transgenic Rodent Assay for Quantifying Male Germ Cell Mutant Frequency

Published on: August 6, 2014

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation17:28

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation

Published on: June 17, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Mismatch Repair01:48

Mismatch Repair

Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch RepairThe human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
In-vitro Mutagenesis (Gene Knockouts)02:29

In-vitro Mutagenesis (Gene Knockouts)

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
Mouse Models of Cancer Study02:43

Mouse Models of Cancer Study

Mice have long served as models for studying human biology and pathology because of their phylogenetic and physiological similarity with humans. They are also easy to maintain and breed in the laboratory, and hence, many inbred strains are now available for research. Studies on mice have contributed immeasurably to our understanding of cancer biology.
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity01:25

Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity refer to the ability of drugs to cause genetic defects and induce cancer, respectively. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies agents into four groups based on their carcinogenic potential. Group 1 agents are known human carcinogens; group 2A agents are probably carcinogenic to humans; group 3 agents lack data to support their role in carcinogenesis; and group 4 includes agents for which data support that they are not likely to be...