Hypoxic cells can metabolize nitroheterocyclic compounds to produce toxic intermediates capable of affecting the survival of neighbouring oxygenated cells. Mutagenesis experiments with E. coli WP-2 343 (deficient in nitroreductase) indicated that reduction of nitroheterocyclics outside bacteria causes killing and mutations within bacteria, presumably due to the transfer of the "active" specie (s). Using animal tissue slices to reduce nitrofurans, cultured L-929 cells incubated under aerobic conditions were far more sensitive to the toxic and DNA damaging effects of these drugs. Transfer of the active species also occurs in a tissue-like environment in multicell spheroids where the presence of a hypoxic central core served to convert the nitroheterocyclics to intermediates which also damaged the neighbouring oxygenated cells.