THE EFFECT OF THE MALE CONTRACEPTIVE AGENT GOSSYPOL ACETIC-ACID ON MOUSE BONE-MARROW CELLS INVIVO - MICRONUCLEI AND MITOTIC INDEX

In this work the genotoxic effect of gossypol acetic acid (gossypol) w as evaluated by determining the frequency of micronuclei and mitotic i ndex in male mouse bone marrow cells in vivo. Bone marrow cells were c ollected at 24th hour after the single intraperitoneal (20, 40, and 80 mug/g) administration of gossypol. Polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) in the bone marrow were then evaluated with respect to micronuclei fre quency. The dose-dependent increase in the micronuclei frequency was o bserved. However, when compared with the control group, the increase w as not found to be significiant (P>0.05). Also the mitotic index value s were not found to be different from those control values (P>0.05). T he results suggest that gossypol is not a clastogenic and mutagenic ag ent in mouse bone marrow cells in vivo.