Micronucleus test with vincristine administered by intraperitoneal injection and oral gavage

The effects of vincristine sulfate (VINC) on micronucleus induction were studied in 2 strains of mice (MS/Ae: CD-1) following intraperitoneal (i.p.) or oral administration (p.o.) of the chemical. On the basis of a small-scale acute toxicity study and a pilot micronucleus experiment, the full-scale micronucleus test was performed with a sampling time of 24 h at doses of 0.063, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg (i.p.) and 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 mg/kg (p.o.). The maximum frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes was 7.15% in MS/Ae mice and 4.98% in CD-1 mice at 5.0 mg/kg p.o. in both cases. The maximum frequencies by the i.p. route (9.93% in MS/Ae mice; 11.68% in CD-1 mice) occurred at 0.25 mg/kg and 0.125 mg/kg, respectively. Although the doses showing a positive response were different between the 2 routes, VINC induced micronuclei very efficiently at all doses tested by both administration routes in both strains.