The genotoxic effects of
Vitamin C (
ascorbic acid) on human lymphocytes in vitro were estimated by analyzing and identifying various
chromosome abnormalities, in relation to the concentration of
Vitamin C. Testing concentrations of
Vitamin C induced different aberrations including the impairment of spindle function. The spindle disturbances can result in mitotic arrest, multipolar spindles and multipolar segregation, errors in chromosome segregation, formation of chromosome bridges and chromosome laggards. The most frequent irregularities were found in anaphase and telophase. A certain number of lymphocytes were arrested at anaphase or telophase (in
colchicine-untreated cultures of human lymphocytes). Testing concentrations of
ascorbic acid did not induce a significant increase in the number of
aneuploid mitoses and were not clastogenic except at the highest concentration (1,000 microg/ml) in
colchicine-treated cultures, and in
colchicine-untreated cultures of human lymphocytes the pulverization of chromosome was observed.
Vitamin C changed the mitotic index value of lymphocytes notably at the higher concentrations (250, 500 and 1,000 microg/ml).