MICRONUCLEUS INDUCTION IN SOMATIC-CELLS OF MICE AS EVALUATED AFTER 1,3-BUTADIENE INHALATION

The effect of different 1,3-butadiene (BD) inhalation doses, 130, 250 and 500 ppm, on somatic cells of mice was studied. Two different cell populations with diverse replicative and differentiative activities, n amely splenocytes and peripheral blood reticulocytes, were examined an d micronucleus (MN) frequencies were estimated. In splenocytes, differ ent postinhalation time intervals were studied with regard to MN induc tion and characterisation. BD was found to be clastogenic by inducing increased micronucleus frequencies in both cell compartments and also to induce cytotoxicity at the highest level of exposure, In mouse sple nocytes, BD has also shown a weak aneugenic effect at a short time int erval after the exposure. Postinhalation time influences the induction of chromosome damage in stimulated splenocytes treated in vivo, since MN frequency decreases with time; in addition, BD has shown its aneug enic and cytotoxic potential only at 2 days after exposure. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science B.V.