MUTAGEN-MODULATING EFFECT OF BETA-CAROTEN E IN-VIVO

A chromosome aberration test on bone marrow cells of C57B1/6 mice show ed that beta-carotene (BC) applied by oral administration as a E160a f ood dye (30% oil suspension) at doses of 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/kg simultan eously with cyclophosphamide (CPA) and dioxydine (DN) injected intrape ritoneally for a period of 24 h did not modify their clastogenic effec ts. If the animals were pretreated with perorally administrated beta-c arotene dye at doses of 5 and 50 mg/kg (corresponding to 1.5 and 15 mg /kg of BC) for 5 consecutive days, a statistically significant reducti on in the clastogenic effect of the DN injected for 24 h but not the C PA was observed. In another set of experiments, E160a and clastogens w ere administered simultaneously for 5 consecutive days, and the animal s were killed 6 h after the last treatment. In this case, BC at the do se of 0.15-15 mg/kg statistically significantly reduced the clasgenici ty of DN at all doses used, and of CPA at doses of 1.5 and 15 mg/kg.