title: Genotoxic effects of malathion: an organophosphorus insecticide, using three mammalian bioassays in vivo.
abstract: The genotoxic effects of malathion was evaluated using chromosome aberration, sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and sperm abnormality assays in mice. All the three acute doses (2.5, 5 and 10mg/kg) of malathion tested in the present study, induced significant dose-dependent increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations and sperm abnormalities, but did not affect the total sperm count. The highest acute dose induced a >12-fold increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations, two-fold increase in the frequency of SCEs and four-fold increase in the frequency of sperms with abnormal head morphology following intraperitoneal (i.p.) exposure. Further, a significant increase in the frequency of SCEs was observed, but the increase was not dose-dependent. At higher doses, malathion induced a moderate delay in cell cycle as evident from the increase in average generation time (AGT). The present findings suggest that technical grade malathion is a potent genotoxic agent and may be regarded as a potential germ cell mutagen also.
authors.affiliation: Genetic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Life Science, Assam University, P.O. Box 11, 788011, Silchar, India. girisarbani@yahoo.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giri
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giri
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D008294:Malathion / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D009153:Mutagens; D008294:Malathion