Micronuclei Induced by SO_2 in Bone Marrow Cells of Mice and Protection Role of Seabuckthorn Seed Oil

The genetic toxicological effects of sulfur dioxide(SO 2) were investigated using method of SO 2 inhalation exposure to imitate SO 2 pollution in air. The induction effects of SO 2 inhalation on micronuclei formation in the polychromatophilic erythroblasts(PCE) of mouse bone marrow and protection effect of Seabuckthorn seed oil were studied in vivo. The results show that: (1) both a shortterm and a longterm inhalation of SO 2 caused a significant increase of both the frequency of micronuclei in PCE cells and the frequency of PCE cells with micronuclei in a dose-dependent manner; (2) in the PCE cells, both the frequency of cells with monomicronuclei and the frequency of cells with bimicronuclei were significantly increased with concentrations of SO 2 exposure; (3) SO 2 inhibited significantly MN formation induced by mutagen- urethone; (4)There was the protection effect of Seabuckthorn seed oil on the genetic damage induced by SO 2 inhalation. From the above results,the conclusions can be reached: SO 2 inhalation was a clastogenic and genotoxic agent to mammalian cells, and the combined effects of SO 2 and other mutagens are complex; some natural chemicals have protection effects to toxicological effects of SO 2.