Mitochondrial-supported bioenergetics decline and oxidative stress increases during aging. To address whether the dietary addition of acetyl- l -carnitine [ALCAR, 1.5% (wt/vol) in the drinking water] and/or ( R )-α-lipoic acid [LA, 0.5% (wt/wt) in the chow] improved these endpoints, young (2–4 mo) and old (24–28 mo) F344 rats were supplemented for up to 1 mo before death and hepatocyte isolation. ALCAR+LA partially reversed the age-related decline in average mitochondrial membrane potential and significantly increased ( P = 0.02) hepatocellular O 2 consumption, indicating that mitochondrial-supported cellular metabolism was markedly improved by this feeding regimen. ALCAR+LA also increased ambulatory activity in both young and old rats; moreover, the improvement was significantly greater ( P = 0.03) in old versus young animals and also greater when compared with old rats fed ALCAR or LA alone. To determine whether ALCAR+LA also affected indices of oxidative stress, ascorbic acid and markers of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) were monitored. The hepatocellular ascorbate level markedly declined with age ( P = 0.003) but was restored to the level seen in young rats when ALCAR+LA was given. The level of malondialdehyde, which was significantly higher ( P = 0.0001) in old versus young rats, also declined after ALCAR+LA supplementation and was not significantly different from that of young unsupplemented rats. Feeding ALCAR in combination with LA increased metabolism and lowered oxidative stress more than either compound alone.

The mouse peripheral blood micronucleus (MN) test was performed on samples collected from 20 short-term, 67 subchronic, and 5 chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Data are presented for studies not previously published. Aspects of protocol that distinguish this test from conventional short-term bone marrow MN tests are duration of exposure, and absence of repeat tests and concurrent positive controls. Furthermore, in contrast to short-term bone marrow MN tests where scoring is limited to polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE), longer term studies using peripheral blood may evaluate MN in both, or either, the normochromatic (NCE) or PCE populations. The incidence of MN-PCE provides an index of damage induced within 72 hr of sampling, whereas the incidence of MN in the NCE population at steady state provides an index of average damage during the 30-day period preceding sampling. The mouse peripheral blood MN test has been proposed as a useful adjunct to rodent toxicity tests and has been effectively incorporated as a routine part of overall toxicity testing by the NTP. Data derived from peripheral blood MN analyses of dosed animals provide a useful indication of the in vivo potential for induced genetic damage and supply an important piece of evidence to be considered in the overall assessment of toxicity and health risk of a particular chemical. Although results indicate that the test has low sensitivity for prediction of carcinogenicity, a convincingly positive result in this assay appears to be highly predictive of rodent carcinogenicity.

A diet supplemented with (R)-lipoic acid, a mitochondrial coenzyme, was fed to old rats to determine its efficacy in reversing the decline in metabolism seen with age. Young (3 to 5 months) and old (24 to 26 months) rats were fed an AIN-93M diet with or without (R)-lipoic acid (0.5% w/w) for 2 wk, killed, and their liver parenchymal cells were isolated. Hepatocytes from untreated old rats vs. young controls had significantly lower oxygen consumption (P<0. 03) and mitochondrial membrane potential. (R)-Lipoic acid supplementation reversed the age-related decline in O2 consumption and increased (P<0.03) mitochondrial membrane potential. Ambulatory activity, a measure of general metabolic activity, was almost threefold lower in untreated old rats vs. controls, but this decline was reversed (P<0.005) in old rats fed (R)-lipoic acid. The increase of oxidants with age, as measured by the fluorescence produced on oxidizing 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin, was significantly lowered in (R)-lipoic acid supplemented old rats (P<0.01). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were increased fivefold with age in cells from unsupplemented rats. Feeding rats the (R)-lipoic acid diet reduced MDA levels markedly (P<0.01). Both glutathione and ascorbic acid levels declined in hepatocytes with age, but their loss was completely reversed with (R)-lipoic acid supplementation. Thus, (R)-lipoic acid supplementation improves indices of metabolic activity as well as lowers oxidative stress and damage evident in aging.

Mitochondrial function and ambulatory activity were monitored after feeding old rats acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR). Young (3-5 mo) and old (22-28 mo) rats were given a 1.5% (wt/vol) solution of ALCAR in their drinking water for 1 mo, were sacrificed, and their liver parenchymal cells were isolated. ALCAR supplementation significantly reverses the age-associated decline of mitochondrial membrane potential, as assessed by rhodamine 123 staining. Cardiolipin, which declines significantly with age, is also restored. ALCAR increases cellular oxygen consumption, which declines with age, to the level of young rats. However, the oxidant production per oxygen consumed, as measured by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin fluorescence levels, is approximately 30% higher than in untreated old rats. Cellular glutathione and ascorbate levels were nearly 30% and 50% lower, respectively, in cells from ALCAR-supplemented old rats than in untreated old rats, further indicating that ALCAR supplementation might increase oxidative stress. Ambulatory activity in young and old rats was quantified as a general measure of metabolic activity. Ambulatory activity, defined as mean total distance traveled, in old rats is almost 3-fold lower than in young animals. ALCAR supplementation increases ambulatory activity significantly in both young and old rats, with the increase being larger in old rats. Thus, ALCAR supplementation to old rats markedly reverses the age-associated decline in many indices of mitochondrial function and general metabolic activity, but may increase oxidative stress.

We show that mitochondrial function in the majority of hepatocytes isolated from old rats (24 mo) is significantly impaired. Mitochondrial membrane potential, cardiolipin levels, respiratory control ratio, and overall cellular O-2 consumption decline, and the level of oxidants increases. To examine whether dietary supplementation of micronutrients that may have become essential with age could reverse the decline in mitochondrial function, we supplemented the diet of old rats with 1% (w/v) acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) in drinking water. ALCAR supplementation (1 month) resulted in significant increases in cellular respiration, mitochondrial membrane potential, and cardiolipin values. However, supplementation also increased the rate of oxidant production, indicating that the efficiency of mitochondrial electron transport had not improved. To counteract the potential increase in oxidative stress, animals were administered N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenyl-nitrone (30 mg/kg) (PBN) with or without ALCAR, Results showed that PBN significantly lowered oxidant production as measured by 2,7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH). even when ALCAR was coadministered to the animals, Thus, dietary supplementation with ALCAR, particularly in combination with PBN, improves mitochondrial function without a significant increase in oxidative stress.

Mitochondrial function during aging was assessed in isolated rat hepatocytes to avoid the problem of differential lysis when old, fragile mitochondria are isolated. Rhodamine 123, a fluorescent dye that accumulates in mitochondria on the basis of their membrane potential, was used as a probe to determine whether this key function is affected by aging. A marked fluorescent heterogeneity was observed in hepatocytes from old (20-28 months) but not young (3-5 months) rats, suggesting age-associated alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential, the driving force for ATP synthesis. Three distinct cell subpopulations were separated by centrifugal elutriation; each exhibited a unique rhodamine 123 fluorescence pattern, with the largest population from old rats having significantly lower fluorescence than that seen in young rats. This apparent age-associated alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential was confirmed by measurements with radioactive tetraphenylphosphonium bromide. Cells from young rats had a calculated membrane potential of -154 mV, in contrast to that of the three subpopulations from old rats of -70 mV (the largest population), -93 mV, and -154 mV. Production of oxidants was examined using 2',7'dichlorofluorescin, a dye that forms a fluorescent product upon oxidation. The largest cell subpopulation and a minor one from old animals produced significantly more oxidants than cells from young rats. To investigate the molecular cause(s) for the heterogeneity, we determined the levels of an age-associated mtDNA deletion. No significant differences were seen in the three subpopulations, indicating that the mitochondrial decay is due to other mutations, epigenetic changes, or both.

Folate deficiency causes massive incorporation of uracil into human DNA (4 million per cell) and chromosome breaks. The likely mechanism is the deficient methylation of dUMP to dTMP and subsequent incorporation of uracil into DNA by DNA polymerase. During repair of uracil in DNA, transient nicks are formed; two opposing nicks could lead to chromosome breaks. Both high DNA uracil levels and elevated micronucleus frequency (a measure of chromosome breaks) are reversed by folate administration. A significant proportion of the U.S. population has low folate levels, in the range associated with elevated uracil misincorporation and chromosome breaks. Such breaks could contribute to the increased risk of cancer and cognitive defects associated with folate deficiency in humans.

During periods of rapid growth and development, chromosomal and DNA damage has been observed in hepatic tissue samples of zinc-deprived animals. In this study, the erythrocyte micronucleus assay was used to estimate cytogenetic damage due to zinc deprivation in pregnant rat dams and their fetuses. Rat dams were assigned to one of three dietary groups on day 0 of gestation: zinc deficient (<0.5 μg of zinc/g of diet), zinc adequate (50 μg of zinc/g of diet), and pair-fed (50 μg of zinc/g of diet in an amount matched to daily food intake of the zinc-deficient group). By day 19 of gestation, the zinc-deprived dams had gained no weight during pregnancy and had resorbed nearly half their implantation sites. Of their remaining fetuses, one-third were malformed, and all were growth-retarded. Fetuses from the zinc-deficient group had only one-half of the liver zinc concentration of fetuses in the zinc-adequate and pair-fed groups. In contrast, zinc deprivation of the dams caused no change in liver zinc concentrations but reduced plasma and bone zinc concentrations and elevated liver iron concentrations nearly 2 fold. In spite of their excessively high liver iron stores, erythrocyte production, estimated from the ratio of newly formed to older cells, was suppressed in the zinc-deprived dams. There was no observable increase in the frequency of micronuclei, a measure of chromosomal damage, in recently formed or mature erythrocytes in zinc-deficient rat dams or their fetuses.

A transgenic mouse strain that expresses the hepatitis B virus (HBV) large envelope protein in the liver was used to determine the extent of oxidative DNA damage that occurs during chronic HBV infection. This mouse strain develops a chronic necroinflammatory liver disease that mimics the inflammation, cellular hyperplasia, and increased risk for cancer that is evident in human chronic active hepatitis. When perfused in situ with nitroblue tetrazolium, an indicator for superoxide formation, the liver of transgenic mice displayed intense formazan deposition in Kupffer cells, indicating oxygen radical production, and S-phase hepatocytes were commonly seen adjacent to the stained Kupffer cells. Similar changes were not observed in nontransgenic control livers. To determine whether these events were associated with oxidative DNA damage, genomic DNA from the livers of transgenic mice and nontransgenic controls was isolated and examined for 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, an oxidatively modified adduct of deoxyguanosine. Results showed a significant, sustained accumulation in steady-state 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine that started early in life exclusively in the transgenic mice and increased progressively with advancing disease. The most pronounced increase occurred in livers exhibiting microscopic nodular hyperplasia, adenomas, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, HBV transgenic mice with chronic active hepatitis display greatly increased hepatic oxidative DNA damage. Moreover, the DNA damage occurs in the presence of heightened hepatocellular proliferation, increasing the probability of fixation of the attendant genetic and chromosomal abnormalities and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

An immunoaffinity column is described that facilitates the analysis of oxidative damage products of DNA and RNA in urine, blood plasma, and medium isolated from cultures of Escherichia coli. In intact animals, lesions (adducts) excised from DNA are transported from the cell through the circulation and excreted in urine. In bacteria, DNA adducts are excreted directly into the medium. In either case, the adducts can be assayed as a measure of oxidative damage to DNA. A monoclonal antibody that recognizes 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxo8dG;8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine), a bio-marker of oxidative damage to DNA, has been isolated, and its substrate binding properties have been characterized. The relative binding affinities of this monoclonal antibody for oxo8dG, unmodified nucleosides, or derivatives of Gua made it suitable for the preparation of immunoaffinity columns that greatly facilitate the isolation of oxo8dG, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine, and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine from various biological fluids. Quantitative analysis of these adducts in urine of rats fed a nucleic acid-free diet and in the medium from cultures of E. coli suggests that oxo8-7,8-dihydroguanine is the principal repair product from oxo8-dG in DNA of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The results support our previous estimate of about 10(5) oxidative lesions to DNA being formed and excised in an average rat cell per day.

Rat dams fed zinc (Zn) deficient diets during pregnancy accumulate excessive liver iron (Fe) concentrations. In this study, the authors investigated the effect of Zn deficiency on erythropoiesis. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 50 {mu}g (ZnAd) or less than 0.5 {mu}g (Zndef) Zn/g diet from d0 to d19 of gestation; food intake and weight were recorded daily. Dams were killed by CO{sub 2} asphyxiation on d19 of pregnancy. Smears were made from dam femur bone marrow and analyzed for erythrocyte (RBC) number and maturity. Plasma, liver and bone were analyzed for Zn and Fe concentrations by AAS. In the ZnAd and Zndef dams, mean ({plus minus}sem) bone Zn was 140 {plus minus} 3 and 104 {plus minus} 2 {mu}g/g; plasma Zn was 112 {plus minus} 3 and 41 {plus minus} 4 {mu}g/dl; and liver Fe was 104 {plus minus} 10 and 185 {plus minus} 16 {mu}g/g, respectively. During gestation, mean weight gain of ZnAd was 91 {plus minus}4 g, and Zndef dams had no weight gain. Mean number of fetuses/dam of ZnAd were 12 {plus minus} 2 and Zndef were 7 {plus minus} 2. Fetal weight was 2.3 {plus minus} 0.1 g in ZnAd and 1.4 {plus minus} 0.1more » g in Zndef. Zndef dams resorbed 44% of their implantation sites and 34% of their fetuses had gross teratology. Compared to ZnAd dams, the newly formed RBCs of Zndef dams show marked reduction, indicating suppression of bone marrow erythropoiesis. Thus, severely Zn deficient rat dams were unable to mobilize their excessively high liver Fe stores and could not maintain normal erythropoiesis.« less

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTMutagen formation in heated wheat gluten, carbohydrates, and gluten-carbohydrate blendsMendel Friedman, Robert E. Wilson, and Irving I. ZidermanCite this: J. Agric. Food Chem. 1990, 38, 4, 1019–1028Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1990Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 April 1990https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf00094a023https://doi.org/10.1021/jf00094a023research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views126Altmetric-Citations14LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose Get e-Alerts

Metabolism of benzene is thought to be necessary to produce the toxic effects, including carcinogenicity, associated with benzene exposure. To extrapolate from the results of rodent studies to potential health risks in man, one must know how benzene metabolism is affected by species, dose, dose rate, and repeated versus single exposures. The purpose of our studies was to determine the effect of repeated inhalation exposures on the metabolism of [14C]benzene by rodents. Benzene metabolism was assessed by characterizing and quantitating urinary metabolites, and by quantitating 14C bound to hemoglobin and micronuclei induction. F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed, nose-only, to 600 ppm benzene or to air (control) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 3 weeks. On the last day, both benzene-pretreated and control animals were exposed to 600 ppm, 14C-labeled benzene for 6 hr. Individual benzene metabolites in urine collected for 24 hr after the exposure were analyzed. There was a significant decrease in the respiratory rate of mice (but not rats) pretreated with benzene which resulted in lower levels of urinary [14C]benzene metabolites. The analyses indicated that the only effects of benzene pretreatment on the metabolite profile in rat or mouse urine were a slight shift from glucuronidation to sulfation in mice and a shift from sulfation to glucuronidation in rats. Benzene pretreatment also had no effect, in either species, on formation of [14C]benzene-derived hemoglobin adducts. Mice and rats had similar levels of hemoglobin adduct binding, despite the higher metabolism of benzene by mice. This indicates that hemoglobin adduct formation occurs with higher efficiency in rats. After 1 week of exposure to 600 ppm benzene, the frequency of micronucleated, polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) in mice was significantly increased. Exposure to the same level of benzene for an additional 2 weeks did not further increase the frequency of micronuclei in PCEs. These results indicate that repeated exposures to benzene, such as might be encountered by humans as a result of occupational or environmental exposures, are not likely to change or increase benzene metabolism.

Folate deficiency in Swiss mice increased the incidence of micronuclei in peripheral blood erythrocytes, indicating increased chromosomal damage in nucleated erythrocyte precursors. Caffeine enhanced the incidence of micronuclei in blood and bone marrow by up to 5-fold in folate-deficient mice at doses that did not significantly alter the micronucleus frequency in the presence of adequate dietary folate. The lower dose of caffeine used in this study (75 mg/kg) approaches doses received by humans who consume large amounts of caffeinated beverages. Since folate deficiency and caffeine consumption are highly prevalent in the human population, the potential for a similar interaction in man should be evaluated.

Erythrocytes containing micronuclei serve as an indicator of genotoxic exposure in splenectomized individuals. Micronucleated erythrocytes, derived from cytogenetically damaged RBC precursors, are not selectively removed from peripheral blood in individuals who lack splenic function. The relationship between micronucleated cell frequencies and demographic, environmental, and dietary factors was examined in 44 subjects with previous splenectomy due to trauma. Their micronucleated cell counts fit a log-normal distribution, with geometric means of 3.3 micronucleus-containing cells/1000 reticulocytes and 2.7/1000 normochromatic erythrocytes. A multiple regression analysis showed that drinking five cups of coffee or tea/day (relative to none) was associated with an approximately 2-fold higher frequency of micronucleated cells. Weaker statistical associations were also noted with micronucleus frequency and the consumption of calcium supplements (associated with a higher frequency) and vitamins A, C, or E (lower frequency). An apparent trend of higher micronucleus counts with age was attenuated when other factors were considered in the regression. Cigarette smoking and decaffeinated coffee consumption were among the factors not associated with elevated micronucleated cell frequencies. Because the occurrence of micronuclei in reticulocytes reflects cytotoxic exposures within the past 3-8 days, it may be possible to test directly the relationship of these factors to micronucleus formation through intervention studies.

The mouse erythrocyte micronucleus assay has been traditionally carried out using one or two exposures to the test agent, followed by sampling at two or three postexposure times to obtain a sample near the time of the transient peak of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs). We have demonstrated that frequencies of micronucleated RNA-positive (PCEs) and RNA-negative erythrocytes in blood and bone marrow come to steady state during "continuous" exposure via diet or drinking water, or during repeated daily exposures to test agents by ip injection, gavage, or inhalation. Under these exposure conditions, frequencies of micronucleated cells in peripheral blood approached steady state within 2-3 days in RNA-positive erythrocytes and in 5-6 weeks in RNA-negative erythrocytes. With exposure durations of 6 days (monocrotaline or Crotalaria seeds in diet), 10 days (triethylenemelamine, mitomycin C, 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene, or colchicine, ip daily), 90 days (triethylenemelamine or urethan in drinking water or 1,3-butadiene via inhalation), or 2 years (benezene by daily gavage), frequencies of micronucleated cells attained and remained at steady state for prolonged periods. At steady state, frequencies of micronucleated RNA-positive cells in bone marrow samples were similar to those in RNA-positive and RNA-negative cells in peripheral blood (e.g., triethylenemelamine in drinking water at 4 micrograms/ml resulted in frequencies of micronucleated RNA-negative erythrocytes in peripheral blood of 27/1000 after 45 days of exposure and 24/1000 after 90 days, with a frequency of 28/1000 in bone marrow RNA-positive erythrocytes after 90 days). The data suggest that the efficiency of the assay would be markedly improved by using a repeated dose schedule with a single sample taken at steady state, rather than scoring multiple samples at various times after a single dose. This approach allows the frequency of micronucleated cells to be measured in a sample of bone marrow or blood obtained at almost any stage of routine toxicity testing.

Heated sugar/amino acid reaction mixtures, known to contain products that are clastogenic and/or mutagenic to cells in vitro, were evaluated for clastogenic activity in mouse bone marrow using the erythrocyte micronucleus assay. Heated (i.e. browned) fructose/lysine reaction mixtures were also evaluated in the Salmonella his-reversion assay and the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell chromosomal aberration assay to confirm and extend previous in vitro observations. Significant mutagenicity of fructose/lysine mixtures was observed in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100, TA2637, TA98 and TA102, with greater activity in mixtures heated at pH 10 than at pH 7. S-9 decreased the activity in strains TA100, TA2637 and TA98, but increased the activity in strain TA102. Both pH 7 and pH 10 reaction mixtures of the fructose/lysine browning reaction were highly clastogenic in CHO cells. Heated mixtures of fructose and lysine, and of glucose or ribose with lysine, histidine, tryptophan or cysteine, did not increase the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes in mice when administered by the oral route. This indicates the absence of chromosomal aberrations in erythrocyte precursor cells, and indicates that the genotoxic components of the browned mixtures are not absorbed and distributed to bone marrow cells in amounts sufficient to induce micronuclei when given orally. Because sugar/amino acid browning reactions occur commonly in heated foods, it is important to evaluate further the in vivo genotoxicity of browning products in cell populations other than bone marrow.

The use of a fluorescent stain containing Hoechst 33258 and pyronin Y in the fetal mouse transplacental micronucleus assay allows classification of erythrocytes into three subpopulations on the basis of RNA staining, and permits micronuclei to be scored in all three subpopulations. The youngest erythrocytes stain uniformly positive for RNA (UEs). In older erythrocytes RNA aggregates to give the cells a stippled appearance (SEs) and ultimately disappears, leaving cells which do not stain positively for RNA. Frequencies of micronucleated UEs and SEs were determined at 30 and 48 h following a single dose of methyl methanesulfonate, benzo[a]pyrene, lasiocarpine, monocrotaline or heliotrine. With each agent and dose tested, the frequency of micronuclei increased first in the younger UEs and later in SEs. The use of the Hoechst/pyronin staining procedure, which permits DNA to be distinguished from RNA, minimizes the potential for mis-scoring RNA artefacts as micronuclei and also increases the efficiency of the assay by permitting two age populations of erythrocytes to be scored in each sample.

Three pairs of structurally similar carcinogenic/ non‐carcinogenic chemicals were tested for in vivo genotoxic activity in B6C3F1 mice. The carcinogenic/non‐carcinogenic pairs, respectively, were o‐toluidine hydrochloride/o‐anthranilic acid, 4‐chloro‐o‐phenylenediamine/4‐nitro‐o‐phenylenediamine, and 3‐(chloromethyl)pyridine hydrochloride/2‐(chloromethyl)pyridine hydrochloride. Bone marrow cells from mice given intraperitoneal injections of up to the maximum tolerated dose were evaluated for chromosomal aberration, sister chromatid exchange, and micronucleus induction, o‐anthranilic acid and o‐toluidine hydrochloride did not increase the frequency of chromosomal aberrations or micronuclei. o‐Toluidine hydrochloride increased the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in two successive trials, while o‐anthranilic acid had a positive effect on sister chromatid exchanges in two of three trials. Both 2‐(chloromethyl) and 3‐(chloromethyl)pyridine hydrochloride were negative for all three endpoints. Assays for chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei each distinguished between 4‐chloro‐o‐phenylenedi‐amine and its non‐carcinogenic companion, 4‐nitro‐o‐phenylenediamine. In the aberration test, 4‐chloro‐o‐phenylenediamine produced a few cells with very large numbers of aberrations rather than an even distribution of damage among cells.