The effect of clarithromycin on the induction of chromosome aberrations in mice bone-marrow, splenocyte cells and spermatocyte cells was investigated. Male Swiss mice were orally treated by gavage once with doses 50, 100, 200 and 300 mg kg⁻¹ b.wt. A repeated daily dose of 50 mg kg⁻¹ b.wt. was given for successive days. Clarithromycin induced chromosome aberrations in both bone-marrow and splenocyte cells. The percentage of chromosome aberrations was found to be statistically significant after single and repeated treatments.
The percentage of chromosome aberrations in diakinesis–metaphase I spermatocytes increased in a dose dependent manner and was found to be statistically significant after 2 higher and repeated doses.
The high doses of the antibiotic caused a significant increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in mice bone-marrow. Its highest values were 9.99±0.48/cell after treatment with high dose (300 mg kg⁻¹ b.wt.) compared with 4.24±0.44/cell in the non treated mice.