Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Evaluation of six short term tests for detecting organic chemical carcinogens and recommendations for their use

  • Article
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

Six short term tests for detecting carcinogenicity have been evaluated using 120 compounds, of which half were carcinogens and the rest non-carcinogens. The results obtained indicate that the Ames test and a “cell transformation” assay are both sufficiently sensitive to carcinogenicity, or the lack of it, in the compounds studied to enable them to be employed for detecting potential carcinogens. The consequences of using short term tests under various screening conditions have been explored. In order to have confidence in the results obtained for new or previously untested compounds it is important to use such tests in a carefully controlled manner.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. IARC Monographs on the Evaluations of Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man, Lyon, 1, 80–86 (1972).

  2. IARC Monographs on the Evaluations of Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man, Lyon, 4, 97–111 (1974).

  3. Higginson, J., Can. Cancer Conf., 40–75 (Pergamon, Oxford, 1968).

  4. Cairns, J., Scient. Am., 233, 64–78 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bridges, B. A., Nature, 261, 195–200 (1976).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ames, B. N., McCann, J., and Yamasaki, E., Mutat. Res., 31, 347–364 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. McCann, J., Choi, E., Yamasaki, E., and Ames, B. N., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 72, 5135–5139 (1975).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Szent-Gyorgyi, A., Isenberg, I., and Baird, S., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 46, 1444 (1960).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Szent-Gyorgyi, A., and McLaughlin, J., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 47, 1397 (1961).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. DiPaolo, J. A., Nelson, R. L., Donovan, P. J., and Evans, C. H. Archs Path., 95, 380–385 (1973).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Preussmann, von R., Schneider, H., and Epple, F., Arzneimittel-forschung, 19, 1059 (1969).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Macpherson, I., and Montagnier, L., Virology, 23, 291–294 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Williams, D. J., and Rabin, B. R., Nature, 232, 102–105 (1971).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Purchase, I. F. H., and Lefevre, P. A., Chemy Indy, 10, 415–416 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Bock, F. G., and Mund, R., Cancer Res., 18, 887–892 (1958).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Iversen, O. H., and Evensen, A., Acta Path. Microbiol. Scand. Suppl., 156 (1962).

  17. Zapp, J. A., Science, 190, 422 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Cohen, S. M., Erturk, E., VonEsch, A. M., Crovetti, A. J., and Bryan, G. T., J. natn. Cancer Inst., 54, 841–850 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Purchase, I., Longstaff, E., Ashby, J. et al. Evaluation of six short term tests for detecting organic chemical carcinogens and recommendations for their use. Nature 264, 624–627 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/264624a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/264624a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation