Comparing the clastogenic potential of atrazine with caffeine using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells

The agronomically important herbicide atrazine has been reported to cause d amage to animal chromosomes at levels of atrazine found contaminating drink ing water supplies. While documenting potential chromosome damage is import ant it is equally important to compare the damage with the potential conseq uences of compounds readily found in our food and water supply. In this stu dy atrazine and caffeine. a ubiquitous food additive, were compared at equa l levels and at real exposure levels for their ability to damage animals ch romosomes in cell culture. Nuclei and chromosomes from treated and control cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. At extremely low levels. atrazine wa s found to be a more potent clastogen. Caffeine had no effect on the chromo somes at the lower levels. Both chemicals were genotoxic at the potential e xposure levels with caffeine being more disruptive than atrazine. Atrazine appears to be a more potent damaging agent than caffeine at similar levels of exposure; however, the levels of caffeine one is exposed to during every day life appears to be more damaging on the endpoints analyzed in this stud y than the levels of atrazine found contaminating water supplies. The advan tages and limitations of whole cell clasotgenicity are also presented in li ght of these results. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights res erved.