[Induction effects of sulfur dioxide inhalation on chromosomal aberrations in mouse bone marrow cells].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the induction effects of sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) inhalation on chromosomal aberrations (CA) in mouse bone marrow cells.


METHODS
The mice were treated with SO(2) for 4 h/day x 7 days at various concentrations of SO(2), then mitotic indices and CA in the bone marrow cells were analyzed.


RESULTS
SO(2) increase the frequencies of CA and aberrant cells in mouse bone marrow cells in dose-dependent manner. The frequencies (%) of the aberrant cells in mouse bone marrow cells induced by SO(2) at concentrations of 0, 14, 28, 56 and 84 mg/m(3) were 1.81, 3.00, 3.58, 4.26 and 4.86, respectively. SO(2) at low concentrations induced only chromatid-type CA, but at high concentrations it induced both chromatid-type and chromosome-type CA. SO(2) inhalation decreased the mitotic indices of the bone marrow cells.


CONCLUSIONS
SO(2) inhalation may inhibit mitoses and increase CA frequencies of the bone marrow cells; therefore, it is a clastogenetic and genotoxic agent. It implies that long time exposure of SO(2) pollutant at low concentration in air may be a potential risk to induce damage of cytogenetic material in humans.
Meng
Ziqiang
Z
Institute of Environmental Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Life Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
Zhang
Bo
B
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008940:Mitotic Index; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013458:Sulfur Dioxide