In vivo genotoxic evaluation of the furylethylene derivative 1-(5-bromofur-2-yl)-2-nitroethene in mouse bone marrow

The genotoxic potential of the compound 1-(5-bromofur-2-yl)-2-nitroethene (2-βNF) has been tested by using the in vivo mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay. Its ability to induce clastogenicity or aneugenicity, through the induction of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) in the bone marrow cells has been evaluated. Treatment groups of five CD-1 male mice were administered once intraperitoneally at the doses of 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg, and their bone marrows were sampled at 24 and 48 h after the administration, at the first sampling time animals administered with the three doses were used, and in the second sampling time, only animals administered with the highest dose were used. All animals treated with the highest dose of the test compound (30 mg/kg) showed evident clinical symptoms of toxicity such as irritation, hunched posture, slight ataxia, dyspnoea, piloerection, and palpebral ptosis. However, no marked depression of bone marrow cell proliferation was observed, and no significant increases in the frequency of MNPCE were obtained in any of the concentrations tested at any sampling times. The positive control treated-animals were administered with cyclophosphamide at the dose of 40 mg/mL. The compound caused a significant increase in the number of MNPCE in all treated animals, demonstrating the sensitivity of the mouse strain used. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the compound 2-βNF is neither clastogenic nor aneugenic in the erythrocytes from the bone marrow of treated mice at the doses tested. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.