Effects of dietary consumption of black tea infusion alone and in combination with known clastogens on mouse bone marrow chromosomes in vivo.

Black tea infusion in water, in concentrations simulating human consumption, was administered by gavage daily to male Swiss mice for 7 days. One set was given tea once daily and the other twice daily. The mice were then exposed to two known clastogens: chromium (VI) as potassium dichromate and mitomycin C on day 7, and killed after 24 hr. Chromosome damage was studied in preparations made from bone marrow following colchine injection of all mice, and examination of the cells after pretreatment in hypotonic solution, fixation, air drying one and staining with Giemsa solution. No effect was observed in mice given tea once daily. In mice administered tea twice daily, the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations and damaged cells were increased as compared with those of the control in distilled water. Administration of tea twice daily for 7 days could not reduce the clastogenic effects of mitomycin C significantly. The damage due to potassium dichromate was reduced significantly, almost to the level of distilled water. Dietary administration of black tea infusion could therefore significantly protect against clastogenic activity of chromium compounds though it was itself mildly clastogenic.