ABSTRACT
In vivo assessment and identification of aneuploidy are important phases of genotoxicity evaluation. Considerable effort has been devoted to assess the utility of the existing bioassays and to develop simpler techniques for identifying environmental aneugens. Salbutamol sulphate--an antiasthmatic drug was tested for its spindle damaging effects in bone marrow cells of mice using an in vivo technique, for the evaluation of mitotic index, C-mitotic effects, anaphase reduction and hyperdiploidy. Doses of 0.12, 0.24, 1.2, 2.4, mg/kg body weight were dissolved in bidistilled water and administered intraperitoneally to the mice. Colchicine was taken as positive control for its known aneuploidy-inducing effects. The drug showed positive C-mitotic effects accompanied with increases of mitotic index and decreased frequencies of anaphase in higher doses. Significant levels of hypodiploidy also noted at higher doses. The preliminary results indicated that Salbutamol is capable of inducing C-mitotic effects in mouse bone marrow cells, which is suggestive of possible induction of aneuploidy.