Micronucleus frequency in spleen lymphocytes from severely malnourished rats during lactation.

The purpose of this ex vivo study was to determine if severe malnutrition increases the frequency of micronuclei in spleen lymphocytes of experimentally malnourished rats during lactation. Micronucleus frequencies were analyzed in binucleate cells produced by the cytokinesis block method. The overall micronucleus frequency was significantly higher in binucleate cells from malnourished rats (21.30/1000) as compared to that observed in control rats (11.50/1000). The number of binucleate cells with more than one micronucleus was also higher in malnourished rats than in controls (3.10/1000 vs. 1.20/1000). These results indicate that severe malnutrition produces cellular damage in vivo, as was evidenced by the increased micronucleus frequency in rat spleen lymphocytes in vitro. This damage may produce negative effects for the further development of the organism, since the spleen is an important lymphopoietic organ in rodents.