Mixed disulfides from disulfiram inhibit the benzo[a]pyrene induced mutagenesis

Some mixed disulfides derived from disulfiram and endogenous thiol compounds have been synthesized, biochemically characterized and their potential antigenotoxic effects have been proposed. The present study evaluated the mutagenic and antimutagenic specificities of two mixed disulfides using S. typhimurium reversion assay, namely S-(N,N-diethyldithiocarbamoyl)-N-acetylcysteine (AC-DDTC) and-L-glutathione (GS-DDTC). The two mixed disulfides were not mutagenic to Salmonella strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence or absence of S9 mixture. The increased number of revertants by benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) has been reduced to the control level by the preincubation with AC-DDTC or GS-DDTC. It was not due to the killing effect of B(a)P, mixed disulfides or B(a)P-disulfide mixture. The antimutagenic effect of AC-DDTC was more potent than that of GS-DDTC. These results indicate that AC-DDTC and GS-DDTC may have a role to play in reducing the risk of mutagenic effects of B(a)P.