Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Biondi, O.
Right arrow Articles by Mosesso, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Biondi, O.
Right arrow Articles by Mosesso, P.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Mutagenesis, Vol. 17, No. 3, 261-264, May 2002
© 2002 UK Environmental Mutagen Society/Oxford University Press

Low molecular weight polyethylene glycol induces chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster cells cultured in vitro

Olga Biondi,2, Salvatore Motta and Pasquale Mosesso1

Università di Catania, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy and 1 Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Via San Camillo de Lellis s.n.c., Viterbo, Italy

The human population is widely exposed to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and its chemical derivatives, which are widely used as vehicles or co-solvents in many pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations. However, PEG polymers of low molecular weight differ significantly from polymers of higher molecular weight in their physico-chemical properties, biological effects on cell permeability and their absorption and excretion, as well as their higher toxicity and possibly genotoxicity. In the present study we have analysed the induction of chromosome aberrations by the low molecular weight PEG polymers tetraethylene glycol (TEG), PEG 200 and PEG 400 in a Chinese hamster epithelial liver (CHEL) cell line, which retains sufficient metabolic capability to activate different promutagens and procarcinogens. The results indicate that in CHEL cells only TEG and PEG 200 are clastogenic. Parallel experiments performed in CHO cells in the presence and absence of rat liver S9 mix showed significant increases in chromosomal aberrations only in cultures treated with TEG in the presence of rat liver S9, indicating that low molecular weight polymers need to be activated to exert their genotoxic activity.

2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +39 095 7306034; Fax: +39 095 327990: Email biondol{at}unict.it


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.