Genotoxic effects of triphenyltin acetate and triphenyltin hydroxide on mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo

Two organotin pesticides, triphenyltin acetate (TPTA) and triphenyltin hydr oxide (TPTH), were evaluated for their ability to induce micronuclei (MN) a nd sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in vitro using cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and in vivo BALB/c mouse erythrocytes. Both pesticides in duced a dose-dependent increase but only TPTH induced a significant increas e in MN at the highest dose (150 ng/ml) tested in CHO cells. With adding S9 microsomal fractions, both pesticides induced a meaningful MN induction at 150 ng/ml and a dose-dependent significant increase in SCE. In vivo MN ind uction in erythrocytes was conducted by treating BALB/c mice orally or intr aperitoneally with these pesticides either in a single or triple treatments . Oral gavage (p.o.) of TPTA resulted in a dose-related significant increas e of MN induction in peripheral blood and of TPTH induced a significant inc rease in micronucleated reticulocyte (MNRETs) only in a single treatment. I ntraperitoneal administration of TPTA or TPTH, however, resulted in meaning less random increases in MN though these increases might be attributable to toxic effects. The MNRETs levels in the treatment with both pesticides wer e independent to the sampling time. This study demonstrated that TPTA and T PTH was potential chromosome mutagens. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.