ABSTRACT
Zearalenone [ZEN] is a potent estrogenic metabolite mycotoxin produced by some Fusarium species. Few studies have been successfully employed to get rid of the ZEN contamination in foods. This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of hydrated sodium calcium aluminsilicate [HSCAS] to protect Balb/c mice against cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by ZEN. Mice were divided into nine experimental groups [12 mice/group] included the control group, the olive oil group, the groups treated orally with a single dose of HSCAS at doses level of 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg b.w, the group treated orally with a single dose of ZEN [40 mg/kg b.w], the group treated with ZEN plus HSCAS [400 mg/kg b.w], the group received Colchicin [4 mg/kg bw] as a positive control for micronucleus assay and the group treated with mitomycin C [1 mg/kg bw] as a positive control for chromosome aberrations assay. Forty eight hours after treatment, the femur and tibia were dissected out and bone marrow was obtained for different assays. The results showed that ZEN was cytotoxic and genotoxic to Balb/c mice as indicated by the increase in frequencies of polychromatic erythrocytes micronucleated [PCEMN] and chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells. The simultaneous administration of HSCAS with ZEN resulted in a decrease of PCEMN number and chromosomal aberrations frequency and increased the polychromatic erythrocytes [PCE] in bone marrow cells compared with the ZEN alone group. It could be concluded that HSCAS itself was safe at different tested doses and efficient in the prevention of ZEN induced clastogenicity in mice at a dose level as low as 400 mg/kg b.w