Sister Chromatid Exchanges Induced by Inhaled Anesthetics

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Abstract
There is sufficient evidence that anesthetics may cause cancer to justify a test of their carcinogenic potential. Baden et al., using the Ames test, a rapid and inexpensive genetic indicator of carcinogenicity, showed that among currently used anesthetics fluroxene alone caused bacterial mutations. The sister chromatid exchange (SCE) technique, another rapid assay of mutagenic-carcinogenic potential was used. The frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster ovary cells increased when the cell cultures were exposed to mutagen-carcinogens, particularly in the presence of a metabolic activating system. With this test system a 1 h exposure to 1 MAC [minimum anesthetic concentration] nitrous oxide, diethyl ether, trichloroethylene, halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, methoxyflurane or chloroform did not increase SCE values. Divinyl ether, fluroxene and ethyl vinyl ether increased SCE values in the same circumstances. No currently used anesthetic is apparently a mutagen-carcinogen. Anesthetics containing a vinyl moiety possibly may be mutagen-carcinogens.