Genetic Toxicity Test of o-Nitrotoluene by Ames, Micronucleus, Comet Assays and Microarray Analysis

o-Nitrotoluene is used to synthesize artificial dyes and raw materials of urethane resin. In this study, we have carried out in vitro genetic toxicity tests and microarray analysis to understand the underlying mechanisms and the mode of action of toxicity of o-nitrotoluene. TA1535 and TA98 cells were treated with o-nitrotoluene to test its toxicity by basic genetic toxicity test. Ames and two new in vitro micronucleus and COMET assays were applied using CHO cells and L5178Y cells, respectively. In addition, microarray analysis of differentially expressed genes in L5178Y cells in response to o-nitrotoluene was analyzed using Affymatrix genechip. The result of Ames test was that o-nitrotoluene treatment did not increase the mutations both in base substitution strain TA1535 and in frame shift TA98. o-Nitrotoluene has not increased micronuclei in CHO cells. But o-nitrotoluene increased DNA damage in L5178Y cell. Two-hundred two genes were initially selected as differentially expressed genes in response to o-nitrotoluene by microarray analysis and forty four genes among them were over 2 times of log fold changed. These forty four genes could be candidate biomarkers of genetic toxic action of o-nitrotoluene related to induction of mutation and/or induction of micronuclei and DNA damage. Further confirmation of these candidate markers related to the DNA damage will be useful to understand the detailed mechanism of action of o-nitrotoluene.