Abstract
The cytogenetic effect of a hormonal steroid, estradiol-17β, was assessed in peripheral blood human lymphocyte culture. Sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and chromosome aberrations (CA) were scored as genetic end points. Significant induction of CA was observed at 25 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml concentrations of estradiol-17β in the absence of microsomal activation. The drug was effective in all treatments in the presence of rat liver S
9 microsomal fraction (S
9 mix) and exhibited increased frequency of chromosomal aberrations. The drug was effective in increasing the SCE frequency which was found to be maximum at the dose of 50 μg/ml concentration (i.e., 4.34±1.22) both with and without metabolic activation. It was found that estradiol-17β itself and possibly its metabolites are potent mutagens beyond a particular dose in human lymphocytes.