Prolonged murine genotoxic effects of crude extracted from neem

Oral administration of a crude ethanol extract of the leaves of neem (Azadi rachta indica A juss) to adult Swiss albino mice for 7 days at 5 mg, 10 mg or 20 mg/10 g bw/day significantly increased the incidence of structural an d mitosis disruptive changes in metaphase chromosomes of bone marrow cells on days 8, 15 and 35th of observation. It is proposed that one or other of the many constituents of the extract, along with genera free radicals, inte rfered with DNA to yield chromosome strand breakage or produced spindle dis turbances, inducing belated genotoxic effects. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.