Cytogenetic effect of some insecticides in mouse spleen

Several insecticides were tested for their ability to induce chromosomal aberrations in mouse spleen. They were injected i.p. in doses representing approximately 1/8-1/10 of the respective LD50 values. Doses were: DDT, 5.5 mg kg-1 body wt.; malathion, 30 mg kg-1 body wt.; Dursban, 4 mg kg-1 body wt.; Sevin, 7 mg kg-1 body wt.; and Lannate, 1 mg kg-1 body wt. 'Mitomycin C' at a dose of 1 mg kg-1 body wt. was used as a positive control. Mice were sacrificed 6, 24 and 48 h after treatment. DDT, malathion, dursban and lannate caused maximum chromosomal aberrations 24 h after injection, whereas Sevin induced its maximum effect 6 h after the treatment. All the insecticides induced statistically significant chromosomal aberrations even after excluding the number of metaphases with gaps. The results indicate genotoxicity in mouse spleen cells.