A study of dominant lethal mutations in mice treated with tequila

Tequila is an alcoholic beverage that is widely consumed in several countries. It has shown genotoxic potential in mammalian models that measure cytogenetic damage in somatic cells in vivo, as well as in the evaluation of the synaptonemal complex of mouse spermatocytes. Therefore, it is important to know whether these types of alterations may be expressed in the embryo. The purpose of our investigation was to determine if tequila can increase the frequency of dominant lethal mutations in mice. We used two dosages of the beverage (2.8 and 5.6 g/kg) and two groups of control animals, one given cyclophosphamide (0.1 g/kg) and the other distilled water. The measured parameters included the numbers of live implants, resorptions and post-implantation losses. The results show that tequila in the tested dosages did not produce a significant increase in the frequency of dominant lethal mutations. Thus, it seems probable that the genotoxic alterations produced in somatic and germ cells of rodents may be eliminated or repaired during spermatogenesis.