Modification of Radiation-induced Genetic Damage in Drosophila Melanogaster Male Germ Cells by Butylated Hydroxytoluene

Summary

The effects of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on genetic damage induced by ionizing radiation were studied in post-meiotic male cells of Drosophila melanogaster. Prior to submitting Samarkand males to 2 krad of X-rays, BHT was administered (a) with the food (0·2 per cent final concentration) from emergence of the imago for 7 days or (b) by intra-abdominal injection (0·05 per cent) to 7-day-old adults. Dominant lethality (embryonic and total), II–III translocations and sex-linked recessive lethals were recorded. The only effect of BHT observed was a decrease in the frequency of recessive lethals induced, detected in early spermatids. Since oxygen plays an important role in the high radiosensitivity of these cells, it is suggested that the sparing action of BHT was due to its antioxidative and radical scavenging properties.