Ascorbic acid is not clastogenic and does not modify the effect of extended low-dose-rate gamma-irradiation in mouse...

Ascorbic acid was given to CBA mice in drinking water (5%) a week before and during 35-day exposure to gamma-radiation from 137 Cs at a very low dose-rate (44 mGy/day). The frequency of micronucleated normochromatic erythrocytes (fMNCE) in peripheral blood was monitored by repeated sampling during the exposure. The analyses were made with flow cytometry giving a high resolution because of the large number of cells analysed, about 10(6) for each dose group and sampling occasion. Ascorbic acid in the drinking water did not modify the increase of fMNCE in the gamma-irradiated groups of mice, nor did ascorbic acid influence the fMNCE in the non-irradiated groups of mice.