National Science Council Project Grant
Preliminary Genotoxicity Analysis Services
Exposure to chemicals can cause mutations or damage to cell genes, especially if it affects oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, which may eventually lead to cancer and various diseases. Therefore, genotoxicity assessment is the most basic part of preclinical drug testing. Genotoxicity testing is also part of the safety assessment of cosmetics and certified health foods. In particular, when the raw materials of the product are not recognized as safe, are not traditionally used, or are not processed in a common way, toxicity data must be included in the safety assessment. There are many methods for genotoxicity. Since each detection method has its own advantages and disadvantages, no single test can detect all types of gene mutations at the same time. Therefore, the prediction of genotoxicity usually requires more than two testing methods.
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Bacterial reverse mutation assay
bacterial reverse mutation test
The test is carried out on Salmonella or Escherichia coli that require specific amino acids to survive. It mainly detects single-site gene mutations, including base-pair substitutions and gene sequence displacements (frameshifts) caused by the addition or removal of one or more bases.
It is estimated to have a 70% predictive power for genotoxicity and is a rapid and low-cost test compared to other genotoxicity tests.
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In vitro mammalian cell genotoxicity assay
In vitro mammalian cell genotoxicity assay
In vitro mammalian cell genotoxicity testing is a common method for evaluating the extent of damage to the genome by compounds. By exposing the compound to a culture medium of mammalian cells and then detecting its effect on the cell's genes, it is possible to assess whether it has the potential to cause mutations or carcinogenesis . This test usually uses different cell lines, such as mammalian lymphocytes or human lymphocytes, and can detect whether the compound causes abnormalities in the structure or quantity of chromosomes.
