Deamination: Nitrous Acid as a mutagen
Sodium Nitrate
(NaNO3) is a common food
additive that also occurs naturally in meats
preserved by smoking. In the stomach, Sodium Nitrate is
converted to Nitrous Acid
(HNO2),
which acts as a mutagen by deamination (removal of the
NH2 group) of adenine and/or cytosine to an ether group, thus
altering their base pairing.
Sodium Nitrate is one of many chemicals which, although not directly mutagenic themselves, become mutagenic when metabolized. Standard mutagenicity tests (such as the Ames Test) [iGen 7.14] simulate metabolism by mixing the chemicals with liver extracts .
Sodium Nitrate is one of many chemicals which, although not directly mutagenic themselves, become mutagenic when metabolized. Standard mutagenicity tests (such as the Ames Test) [iGen 7.14] simulate metabolism by mixing the chemicals with liver extracts .