[Mutagen extraction from bile of patients with inflammatory biliary pathology: Ames test using blue rayon]

Gallbladder carcinoma is frequent in Chile. The aim of this study was to report the mutagenicity of whole human bile, using the Ames/Salmonella microsome assay with Salmonella typhimurium TA98. The bile of 19 patients, aged 23 to 64 years old, subjected to cholecystectomy was examined, and mutagen activity was found in 13 (72%). Mutagens were extracted using blue rayon and three dilutions for the eluted material from blue rayon were used (50, 100 and 200 ul). The best result was obtained using 200 ul. In some cases, the amount of revertive colonies was very high (over 5 times the control value). We propose that the bile from these patients possibly contains mutagenic substances with frame shift mutagenic activity and that these substances may be related to gallbladder carcinoma. Our results have addressed the importance of bile studies to elucidate the pathogenesis of gallbladder carcinoma.