Hydrogen peroxide mutagenicity towards Salmonella typhimurium

In bioassays conducted under controlled, comparable conditions, weak direct mutagenicity responses were observed for hydrogen peroxide in the standard (Ames test) agar plate incorporation bioassay with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA97, TA98, TA102, and TA1537, in a 20 min preincubation test with strains TA97, TA98, TA100, TA102, TA1537, and TA1538, and in a liquid incubation modification using strain TA1537. These results conclusively demonstrate that hydrogen peroxide is a weak mutagen, especially in strains that are sensitive to oxidative damage under suitable bioassay conditions.