Indium chloride-induced micronuclei via reactive oxygen species in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast V79 cells

We study the cytotoxicity of indium chloride (InCl3) in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts, the V79 cells, using MTT assay. The results showed that InCl3 did not induce significant cytotoxicity at various concentrations tested. In addition, the frequency of micronuclei (MN) was assayed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of InCl3 in V79 cells. InCl3 at concentrations ranged 0.1–1 μM significantly increased MN frequency in a concentration‐dependent manner. Both catalase and superoxide dismutase at concentrations of 75 and 150 μg/mL significantly inhibited InCl3‐induced MN. Similarly, Germanium oxide (GeO2) and dimercaprol expressed antigenotoxic effects. From these findings, it is concluded that InCl3 is a potent genotoxic chemical, which may be mediated partly by inducing oxidative stress. The significance of this study shows that the workers in the semiconductor factories should be cautious in exposing to the hazardous genotoxic InCl3. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 28: 595–600, 2013.