Cytogenetic effect of some insecticides in mouse spleen.

ABSTRACT

Several insecticides were tested for their ability to induce chromosomal aberrations in mouse spleen. They were injected i.p. in doses representing approximately 1/8-1/10 of the respective LD50 values. Doses were DDT, 5.5 mg kg-1 body wt.; malathion, 30 mg kg-1 body wt.; Dursban, 4 mg kg-1 body wt.; Sevin, 7 mg kg-1 body wt.; and Lannate, 1 mg kg-1 body wt. 'Mitomycin C' at a dose of 1 mg kg-1 body wt. was used as a positive control. Mice were sacrificed 6, 24 and 48 h after treatment. DDT, malathion, dursban and lannate caused maximum chromosomal aberrations 24 h after injection, whereas Sevin induced its maximum effect 6 h after the treatment. All the insecticides induced statistically significant chromosomal aberrations even after excluding the number of metaphases with gaps. The results indicate genotoxicity in mouse spleen cells.