Cytogenetic results from a chronic feeding study of MeIQx in mice

The primary food mutagens found in cooked meat are the heterocyclic aromatic amines, including 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx). High dose, acute exposures of MeIQx produce hepatic tumours in some mouse and rat strains. By assaying chromosome damage it may be possible to correlate aberrations with exposure to a mutagen. Whole chromosome painting by fluorescence in situ hybridization allows the rapid screening of metaphase chromosomes for rearrangements. This technique was applied to female mice (C57BL/6) chronically fed 100–400 ppm MeIQx for up to 6 months. Two tissues, blood and bone marrow, were screened with multicolour whole chromosome painting probes (1, 2, 3 and 8). The mice showed no outward signs of toxicity at any dose and very few chromosome aberrations were observed. A slight but significant increase in sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) was seen at 400 ppm in blood at 6 months. When MeIQx was removed from the diet for 1 month there was an apparent decline in SCEs only for animals previously given the 400 ppm diet.