ABSTRACT
The genotoxic properties of diepoxybutane (DEB) have been extensively studied by many authors. The most often investigated endpoints were sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and micronuclei (MN), and less frequently, chromosome aberrations (CAs). In the present study, the analysis of CAs induced by DEB in vitro on human whole blood lymphocytes was performed by using three methods of chromosome visualisation: Giemsa-staining, GTG banding and chromosome painting (FISH). The results showed that DEB is a very efficient clastogenic agent and induces chromosome breaks and gaps as well as tri- and quadriradials (observed by using classical cytogenetic methods) together with acentrics (observed by using FISH) on the statistically significant level, as compared to controls (chi2-test, p<10-5). The analysis of GTG-banded metaphases revealed that the break-points were distributed non-randomly within the chromosomes and located mainly in 1p, 1q, 2p, 2p, 6q, 9q and 14q (p<10-6). In conclusion it can be stated, that methods applied in this work are complementary and can be used successfully for estimation of the clastogenic potential of the tested chemical.