The Relationship between Chemiluminescence Intensity and Genotoxicity in Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Aflatoxins

The chemiluminescence (CL) emitted from polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and aflatoxins (AF) in an S9 mix system can be detected by use of a chemiluminescence analyzer. These CL intensities were significantly correlated with the degree of mutagenicity as measured by the Ames test (using S. typhimurium TA 100), and of clastogenicity measured by the micronucleus test using ICR mice. The emission spectra of the CL detected from aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) indicated a distinctive blue light around 440 nm. In the case of AFs, there was a strong correlation between CL intensity and genotoxicity. CL intensity detected from nonsubstitutional polyaromatic hydrocarbons was significantly correlated with the degree of superdelocalizability. These CL emissions observed from PAHs and AFs not only correspond to the genotoxicity of these compounds but also reflect the electronic configuration of them.