Cytogenetic effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on Wistar rat bone marrow

In this study, the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of lambda-cyhalothrin (LCT), a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, was investigated in Wistar rat bone-marrow cells, using the structural chromosomal aberration (SCA) and micronucleus (MN) test systems. LCT was administrated to adult female albino rats as repeated i.p. doses of 6.12, 3.06, 0.8 mg/kg BW for 13 days at 48 h intervals. Mitomycin C (MMC) was used as a positive control (2 mg/kg BW). All the doses of LCT increased the number of structural chromosomal aberrations and the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes, compared with the control group. It was also observed that LCT caused a significant decrease in the number of polychromatic erythrocytes. Our results demonstrate that LCT has a clastogenic/genotoxic potential as measured by the bone marrow SCA and MN tests in Wistar rats.