Determination of mutagenicity and genotoxicity of indium tin oxide nanoparticles using the Ames test and micronucleus assay

In this study, the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanomaterial were assessed using two standard genotoxicity assays, the Salmonella reverse mutation assay (Ames test) and the in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay. Seven different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 mu g/plate) of this nanomaterial were tested using the Ames test on the TA98 and TA100 strains in the presence and absence of the S9 mixture. At all the concentrations tested, this substance did not significantly increase the number of revertant colonies compared with the control with or without S9 mixture. The genotoxic effects of ITO were investigated in human peripheral lymphocytes treated with 125, 250, 500, and 750 mu g/ml concentrations of this substance for 24- and 48-h treatment periods using an MN test. Nuclear division index (NDI) was also calculated in order to determine the cytotoxicity of ITO. It was determined that ITO increased MN frequency in the 750 mu g/ml concentration in 24- and 48-h treatments. In addition, ITO dose dependently decreased the NDI significantly for two treatment periods.