Mutagenicity of cigarette butt waste in the bacterial reverse mutation assay: The protective effects of β‐caryophyllene and β‐caryophyllene oxide. Issue 11 (2nd March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Di Giacomo, Silvia; Mazzanti, Gabriela; Di Sotto, Antonella
• Is Part Of: Environmental toxicology. Volume 31:Issue 11(2016)
• Page Start: 1319
• Page End: 1328
• Publication Date: 2015-03-02
• Subjects: cigarette butt waste -- genotoxicity -- natural sesquiterpenes -- antimutagenicity -- environmental decontamination; Water quality bioassay -- Periodicals; Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology -- Periodicals; Microbiological assay -- Periodicals; Toxicity testing -- Periodicals; Environmental toxicology -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollutants -- Periodicals; Environmental Monitoring -- Periodicals; Écotoxicologie -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Périodiques; 615.902
• DOI: 10.1002/tox.22136
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1520-4081

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Cigarette filters pose a serious litter and toxic waste disposal problem, because of their not biodegradability and to the leaching of toxins in the environment. Therefore, cigarette butts need to be manipulated as special waste, with potential risks to human health and environment. In the present study, the genotoxic potential of a methanol extract from commonly discharged cigarette butts (CBE) was evaluated in the bacterial reverse mutation assay on Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 and Escherichia coli WP2 uvr A strains, both in the absence and presence of the S9 exogenous metabolic activator. Furthermore, the ability of the natural sesquiterpenes β‐caryophyllene (CRY) and β‐caryophyllene oxide (CRYO) to inhibit the mutagenicity of CBE was studied as a possible preventive strategy. In order to identify the potential antimutagenic mechanisms, three different protocols (pretreatment, cotreatment, and posttreatment) were applied. CBE showed to increase the number of revertant colonies in all the strains tested in presence of S9, so resulting mutagenic. In the antimutagenicity assay, both CRY and CRYO significantly reduced the revertant colonies induced by CBE, although with different potency and specificity. For both sesquiterpenes, the antimutagenicity was strong in all experimental conditions, except for the cotreatment of CRY with CBE in WP2 uvr A, which produced a moderate inhibition. Both desmutagenic and bioantimutagenic mechanisms seem to be involved in the antimutagenicity of the test substances. Taking into account the potential genotoxicity of cigarette butts, CRY and CRYO appear as possible further candidates as environmental decontaminants against this hazardous waste. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1319–1328, 2016.