The term '
antimutagen' was originally used to describe an agent that reduces the apparent yield of spontaneous and/or induced mutations, regardless of the mechanisms involved. The '
antimutagens' include 'desmutagens' and 'bio-
antimutagens'. In this article, our attention was focused on the bio-
antimutagens affecting DNA repair in bacteria.
Cobaltous chloride reduced the frequency of mutations in Escherichia coli induced by
MNNG. The possibility that
metal compound inhibits the growth of
mutagen-treated cells was examined. The results clearly showed that the
antimutagen surely reduces the mutation rate. The target of
cobaltous chloride was found to be cellular factors including Rec A.
Vanillin and
cinnamaldehyde had strong antimutagenic activities against UV, 4NQO and
AF-2. They stimulated Rec A-dependent recombination repair functions in the
mutagen-treated cells. Among plant materials,
tannins possess antimutagenic activity against UV-induced mutations in E. coli. It has been found that
tannic acid stimulates the excision repair encoded by the uvrA gene thereby reducing the yield of mutants. Substances which are antimutagenic in bacterial systems also had antimutagenic activity in cultured mammalian cell systems.
Vanillin reduced the frequency of
mutagen-induced
chromosomal aberrations.