Cytological effects of khat (Catha edulis) in somatic and male germ cells of mice.

Cytological effects of khat (Catha edulis), a popular drug of abuse from Southern Arabia and Eastern Africa, have been studied in Swiss albino mice. The studies on the somatic system involved the use of micronucleus test and the cytological analysis of the mitotic index in the femoral cells of mice. In the micronucleus test, the mice were treated with different doses of khat extract (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) 30 and 6 hours before sacrificing the animals. The polychromatic erythrocytes were screened for the induction of micronuclei. For the analysis of bone marrow cytotoxicity, the mice were treated with the dose of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, body weight, p.o. daily for 5 consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed and the femoral cells were microscopically examined for the mitoses. Following the same schedule of treatment, studies on the cytogenetic analysis of meiotic chromosomal aberrations and the sperm head abnormality were undertaken. Khat extract significantly increased the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes, induced bone marrow depression and reduced the mitotic index of the somatic cells. It induced significant chromosomal aberrations viz., aneuploids, autosomal univalents, univalents of the sex chromosomes and polyploids. The frequency of abnormal sperms was also increased.