Cisplatin induced genotoxicity in swiss albino mice

Abstract

Cisplatin [cis-Diammine dichloroplatinum (ii)] is a divalent, inorganic, watersoluble, platinum-containing complex. It has broad activity as an antineoplastic agent and the drug is especially useful in the treatment of epithelial maligancies. To fill in the dearth of information on it's cytotoxicity, studies were conducted in swiss albino mice using the protocols of sperm-head morphology and micronucleus assays. The sperm-head morphology assay in mice performed in this study is a time-tested in vivo cytogentic assay, which is important in the detection of those agents inducing mutation or causing damages in germ cells. The micronucleus test conducted in this study is also an in vivo assay, devised by Schmid, (1975), which measures the clastogenicity. Cumulative cytogenetic damages can be assessed because micronuleated erythrocytes persist in the circulation. It was observed that the number of sperm-head abnormalities and micronuclei increased with an increase in the dosage upto 60ml/l after which there was a decline.