Effects of tannic acid on spontaneous and induced somatic mutations in Drosophila melanogaster

The effects of tannic acid (TA) alone and in combination with direct acting chemical genotoxins and gamma-radiation were investigated in Somatic Mutation and Recombination Tests (SMARTs) using Drosophila melanogaster. Treatment with TA alone (2.5-15 mmol/l) resulted in a moderate but dose dependent induction of mosaic spots in males and females, indicating that the compound possesses mutagenic and recombinogenic activity. When TA (10 mmol/l) was given simultaneously with MMS, 4-NQO and cis-DDP, a potentiating effect on their mutagenicity was observed in males whereas in females no such increase was measured. The frequency of 4-NQO induced mosaic spots in males was raised more than threefold in presence of TA, for MMS and cis-DDP the enhancement was approximately 2-fold; with gamma-radiation no synergistic effect occurred. The different response in the two sexes indicates that TA preferentially induces gene mutations and deletions but has no enhancing effect on the number of mosaic spots which are formed as a consequence of recombinogenic events.