The mutagenic effects of ivermectin in germinal cells and serum protein of the mouse

Abstract

Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum anti-parasite agent. It is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life. Some animals showed reduction in the fertility, the number of variable fetuses and sperm count following treatment with (IVM). Therefore, the objective of the current work was to investigate the mutagenicity of IVM on meiotic chromosomes of mice. The variations in protein fractions of blood serum were also studied using sodium Dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).Animals received single injections only of 200ug/kg b.wt. for meiotic chromosome study. Whereas single and double treatment for serum protein examinations. Analysis of the treated samples revealed significant increase in meiotic aberrations, 33.83% vs 5.8% for the control (P < 0.001). Single injection induced much variation in the percentage area of the separated protein than that produced by double treatment. These findings supports the mutagenicity of IVM, accordingly cautious use of IVM is advisable.