Ames test is a test method that uses microorganisms to evaluate the mutagenic potential of compounds. By detecting the ability of the test substance to mutate a specific strain, it can be quickly determined whether the compound belongs to mutagenic compounds. Ames test can be used in the research of food additives, cosmetics, pesticides and anti-cancer drugs. It can also be used to analyze pollutants such as municipal sewage, industrial effluents, and sludge.
Principle of Ames test
Ames test uses several auxotrophic strains of Salmonella typhimurium. They have genetic mutations related to histidine synthesis, making them unable to synthesize histidine and require histidine to grow. In a medium containing trace amounts of histidine, except for a very small number of cells with spontaneous reverse mutations, these mutant bacteria generally divide only a few times and cannot form visible colonies. After being affected by the mutagen, the strain undergoes reverse mutation, can synthesize histidine by itself, and form colonies visible to the naked eye. Testing and analysis based on these characteristics of the strain can detect whether the test substance has mutagenic effects.
Figure 1. Principle of Ames test
Ames Test Strains
Creative BioMart Microbe can perform Ames test service with S. typhimurium strains TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537, and E. coli strains WP2 uvrA. We also provide strains TA 97, TA97a, TA102 and WP2 uvrA (pKM101) for Ames test service. Among them, TA98 and TA97 are used to detect frameshift mutation, TA100 is used to detect base-pair substitution mutation, and TA102 is more sensitive to aldehydes, peroxides and DNA cross-linking agents.
We use OECD 471 as a guide to perform Ames testing services. In addition, Mini-Ames test, Micro-Ames test, Ames II test, etc. are also commonly used methods for genetic toxicity research. In the Ames test, the detection is performed without and with the addition of S9 metabolic activation system respectively (the compound as an indirect mutagen needs to undergo metabolic activation to be transformed into a final mutagen to cause mutation). As long as a positive result is obtained in one test strain, the test substance is considered to be a mutagenic compound, and only when negative results are obtained in all test strains, the test substance is considered to be a non-mutagenic compound.
Ames Test Process
Ames Test Services May Help You in The Following Areas:
- Identify revert mutations in strains
- Test the mutagenic activity of the compound and screen the mutagen
- Detect whether there are mutagenic compounds in food additives, cosmetics, drugs and other samples
- Detect whether there are mutagenic substances in environmental samples (such as drinking water, wastewater, sludge, etc.)
Creative BioMart Microbe provides customers with microbiological-related technical services, a professional technical team and a strict quality management system to ensure that we provide customers with accurate and reliable experimental results.
If you want to know more about this service, please feel free to contact us by phone or email, or you can consult through our inquiry form. We will ensure to provide you with efficient and high-quality experimental outsourcing services.
Reference
- Himri, I.; et al. Place of the genotoxicity in the ecotoxicology domain. SME Tox Journal. 2018, 1(1): 10-17.
