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5143371 
Technical Report 
The effect of the microsomal enzyme inhibitor, piperonyl butoxide, on mutagenesis in Drosophila melanogaster 
Lindsay, RJ; Clark, AM 
1978 
1 
Mutation Research
ISSN: 0027-5107
EISSN: 1873-135X 
53 
2 
221 
English 
PESTAB. Piperonyl butoxide (PB) is a powerful synergist used to enhance the action of various insecticides. The action of PB appears to be associated with an inhibition of insect microsomal oxidases. Similar inhibition of mammalian liver microsomal oxidases by PB has also been reported. Pre- treatment (24-hr feeding) of Canton-S males with PB prior to exposure to 1250 r of X-rays reduced the yield of 2:3 reciprocal translocations and increased the yield of dominant lethals (proportion of eggs failing to hatch) both effects being significant at the 1% level. The data could be explained in terms of inhibition of repair of breaks. There is considerable evidence to support the view that in mammalian liver, the active metabolite of the mutagenic and carcinogenic alkaloid heliotrine is dehydro helio tridine. Other work carried out in this laboratory had demonstrated the ability of Drosophilia homogenates to metabolize the carcinogen and mutagen 3,4-benz(a)pyrene. It was therefore decided to test indirectly the hypothesis that inhibition of mixed function oxidases in Drosophila by PB would modify the mutagenicity of heliotrine. Canton-S males were treated by the feeding method. Pre- feeding with PB significantly increased the frequency of heliotrine induced chromosome losses, but produced only a small and inconsistent reduction in the yield of heliotrine induced sex- linked recessive lethals. [At the 2nd International Conference of the International Assoc. of Envirinmental Mutagen Soceities.] (Author abstract by permission)