Dietary folate deficiency enhances induction of micronuclei by arsenic in mice †

Folate deficiency increases background levels of DNA damage and can enhance the genotoxicity of chemical agents. Arsenic, a known human carcinogen present in drinking water supplies around the world, induces chromosomal and DNA damage. The effect of dietary folate deficiency on arsenic genotoxicity was evaluated using a mouse peripheral blood micronucleus (MN) assay. In duplicate experiments, male C57Bl/6J mice were fed folate‐deficient or folate‐sufficient diets for 7 weeks. During week 7, mice on each diet were given four consecutive daily doses of sodium arsenite (0, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg) via oral gavage. Over the course of the study the folate‐deficient diet produced an approximate 60% depletion of red blood cell folate. Folate deficiency by itself was associated with small but significant increases in MN in normochromatic erythrocytes (NCEs) and polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs). Arsenic exposure was associated with significant increases in MN‐PCEs in both folate‐deficient and folate‐sufficient mice. MN‐PCE frequencies at the 10 mg/kg dose of arsenic were increased 4.5‐fold over vehicle control in folate‐deficient mice and 2.1‐fold over control in folate‐sufficient mice. At the 5 and 10 mg/kg doses of arsenic, MN‐PCE levels were significantly higher (1.3‐fold and 2.4‐fold, respectively) in folate‐deficient mice compared to folate‐sufficient mice. Very few MN from either control or treated animals in either experiment exhibited kinetochore immunostaining, suggesting that the MN were derived from chromosome breakage rather than from whole chromosome loss. These results indicate that folate deficiency enhances arsenic‐induced clastogenesis at doses of 5 mg/kg and higher. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 40:71–77, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.