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This research project sought to determine whether 1,3-DCP and 2,3-DCP were genotoxic when tested using standard in vivo genotoxicity tests.
<p>1,3-DCP and 2,3-DCP were evaluated for their in vivo genotoxic potential using the two well-validated assays recommended in the COM guidelines for testing of chemicals for mutagenicity.
The assays were selected to reflect two different types of genotoxic effect in two different tissues of the rat.
These were the rat bone marrow micronucleus test, which measures potential to cause chromosome damage, and induction of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in rat liver, which is an indicator of repair to damaged DNA.
1,3-DCP and 2,3-DCP may be present as contaminants in some processed foods. 1,3-DCP has been found to occur in some samples of soy sauce (Food Survey Information Sheet 15/01; 2001).
<p>Previous studies had shown 1,3-DCP caused mutations when tested in several in vitro systems. More limited in vitro mutagenicity studies carried out with 2,3-DCP supported the conclusion that it too is mutagenic in vitro.
<p>The Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COM) had recommended that further research was required to find out if the effects that had been demonstrated in vitro were expressed in vivo (that is in living animals).
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.