Induction of Mitotic Chromosome Anomalies in Mice by Muriate of Potash

Abstract

Muriate of potash (potassium chloride), when administered orally at the rate of 500 mg per mouse (Mus musculus) per day for eight days, was able to induce a six-fold increase in the rate of chromosomal abnormalities in the bone-marrow cells. Gross type abnormalities like stickiness, clumping and pulverisation, etc., and individual types like chromatid breaks, gaps, centric fusion and deletions were observed. The breaks were randomly distributed in respect to both chromosome number and length (region).