Mutagenesis, Vol. 17, No. 3, 219-222,
May 2002
© 2002 UK Environmental Mutagen Society/Oxford University Press
Griseofulvin induces mitotic delay and aneuploidy in bone marrow cells of orally treated mice
Section of Toxicology and Biomedical Sciences, ENEA CR Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 Santa Maria di Galeria, Roma, Italy
Griseofulvin (GF) is a fungicide drug well characterized for its aneugenic activity in vitro. In vivo strong evidence of aneuploidy and polyploidy induction has been obtained in germ cells, especially in oocytes. More controversial are the data on the aneugenicity of griseofulvin in somatic cells. In this paper we provide evidence that GF induces non-disjunction and cell cycle delay in bone marrow cells of orally treated mice. Adult female mice were administered olive oil suspensions of 200, 666 or 2000 mg/kg GF by gavage and killed 18 or 24 h later. To minimize animal-to-animal variation in the absorption and distribution of GF, mice were fasted from the time of GF administration to the time of killing. Two hours before treatment the animals were s.c. implanted with a bromodeoxyuridine tablet to obtain differential chromatid staining and to determine the number of divisions after GF treatment for each metaphase. Mitostatic effects of GF were assessed by the relative proportions of first, second and third generation metaphases and the average generation time (AGT) method. A statistically significant increase with respect to the control AGT value was observed after treatment with 666 and 2000 mg/kg, suggesting that GF, as already shown in meiosis, interfered with cell cycle progression. Hyperploidy was scored in second generation metaphases. Eighteen hours after treatment, the frequencies of hyperploid cells were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in all GF-treated groups than in their matched control group. The effect was not dose-dependent. No further increase in aneuploidy was observed at 24 h, suggesting that cells overcoming mitotic arrest did not have a higher rate of non-disjunction. No induction of polyploidy was demonstrated. We conclude that GF induces mitotic delay and aneuploidy in mouse bone marrow and suggest that the protocol used to formulate the gavage suspensions and the after-treatment fasting of the animals enhanced the bioavailability of GF to bone marrow cells.
1 Present address: Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-448, Livermore, CA, USA
2 Present address: Centro Ricerca Sperimentale, Istituto Regina Elena, Roma, Italy
3 To whom correspondence should be addressed Tel: 39 06 30484442; Fax: 39 06 30483805; Email: pacchier{at}casaccia.enea.it
*This paper is dedicated to Pietro Metalli on the occasion of his 70th birthday.