Dose-Dependent Minimisation of Cytogenetic Toxicity of Endosulfan (an Organochlorine Pesticide) by Vitamin C

Abstract

Concurrent administration for seven days of therapeutic (10mg/kg bw/day) as well as 20 and 40mg/kg bw/day doses of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) with sub-lethal oral dose of endosulfan to Swiss albino mice could cause significant decrease in the incidence of pesticideinduced chromosomal abnormalities in the bonemarrow cells. This effect was most pronounced at 20mg/kg bw/day dose. The pesticide alone could induce both structural as well as mitosis-disruptive types of chromosomal abnormalities, albeit the latter was not significant. The effective antimutagenic doses of vitamin C, when administered alone, failed to produce any significant genotoxic effect of their own.