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A recent epidemiological survey in China showed that there is a regional distribution of esophageal cancer and a correlation between mortality for this cancer and environmental factors, especially the consumption of pickled vegetables. A series of experimental studies with pickled vegetable extract were done using different in vitro biological systems. The results showed that pickled vegetable extract induced 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants in V79 cells and increased sister chromatid exchanges in the same cells and in Syrian hamster embryo cells. Pickled vegetables extract induced transformed foci in Syrian hamster embryo cells and in 3-methylcholanthrene initiated C3H/10T1/2 cells. The mutagenic, transforming and promoting activities of pickled vegetable extract seen in vitro conform with in vivo results and provide evidence for the presence of a mutagen and/or a carcinogen in pickled vegetable extract. A possible role of pickled vegetables consumption in the etiology of esophageal cancer is discussed.