A STUDY OF COPPER GENOTOXICITY IN THE MICRONUCLEUS TEST ON MICE

Genotoxicological characterization of cupric acetate in the micronucle us test on BALB/c mice showed that small dose levels (0.5 and 5.0 mg/k g of body weight) and especially higher dose levels (10.0 and 25.0 mg/ kg of b. w.) induce higher micronuclei counts (9.21 +/- 1.30, 11.0 +/- 2.64, 15.6 +/- 2.07 and 20.3 +/- 2.58) in polychromatic erythrocytes of the bone marrow. The count of induced micronuclei was statistically significant (P<0.001) compared to that of spontaneous micronuclei (2. 2 +/- 1.30) found in control mice inoculated with physiological saline solution, but also somewhat lower than in mice treated with cyclophos phamide (23.8 +/- 1.79). Thus, the results of the investigation showed that cupric acetate in the investigated dose levels, inoculated intra peritoneally in to mice had a mutagenic effect.