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The suitability of 4 in vitro assays, commonly used for mutagenicity and genotoxicity assessment, was investigated in relation to treatment with 14 nm citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Specifically, the Ames test was conducted without metabolic activation, where no mutagenic effects were observed. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and Cytoviva dark-field image analysis showed that AuNPs did not enter the bacterial cells, thus confirming the unreliability of the Ames test for nanoparticle mutagenicity studies. In addition, the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line was used for Comet, Chromosome aberration and Micronucleus assays. CHO cells were treated with AuNPs for 20 h at 37 °C. Cytotoxicity was not detected by cell impedance studies even though AuNP uptake was confirmed using Cytoviva image analysis. The DNA damage was statistically significant in treated cells when …