Genotoxic effects of copper sulfate in rabbits

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the genotoxic effects of oral application of CuSO4 in rabbits by the chromosome aberration (CA) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) tests. Ten male New Zealand rabbits (5 months old, weighing 3.5-4.0 kg) were allocated into two groups. The first group received CuSO4 (5H2O) in drinking water for 6 consecutive days. The second group was used as a control. On the 7th day, blood samples were taken from the ear marginal vein and the SCE and CA tests in peripheral lymphocytes were used as genotoxicity and mutagenicity endpoints, respectively. Results showed a significant increase in the frequencies of the aberrant cells (7.4±0.24, P<0.001) and CA (chromatid fragments 3.2±0.37, chromosome fragments 4.2±0.37, P<0.001), and total aberrations (7.4±0.24, P<0.001) after the treatment with CuSO4 when compared with the control group. The level of SCE per cell in the CuSO4-treated rabbits (9.66±0.062) was significantly higher than in rabbits from the control group. These findings show that copper exhibits a genotoxic and mutagenic potential in rabbits.

Keywords

• copper sulfate
• chromosome aberrations
• sister chromatid exchange