Acrylonitrile (ACN) is an extensively produced industrial chemical used in the synthesis of plastics and fibers. It has been found in car exhaust, cigarette smoke, drinking water and food products. The ability of acrylonitrile to induce sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's) and chromosomal aberrations in male mice was investigated. Three dose levels of acrylonitrile (5, 7.5, 10 mg kg^-1b.wt.) were tested (i.p.) for SCE's. The dose 10 mg kg^-1b.wt. induced significant increase in the frequency of SCE's 7.2 ±0.2/cell as compared with 4.4±0.26 for control, but the rate of increase was significantly lower than that with mitomycin C 11.9±0.5. Oral treatment with acrylonitrile induced a statistically significant increase in the percentage of chromosomal aberrations in mouse spermatocytes, bone-marrow as well as spleen cells. The aberration frequency increased with the dose and the number of treatments. In all experiments, mitomycin C induced much higher effect.
In conclusion acrylonitrile has shown clastogenic potential in the mice examined.