INDIRECT SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF ECTODERMAL MERCURY EXPOSURE BY TRADITIONAL MEDICAL FORMULATIONS ON FRESHWATER CAT FISH CLARIAS BATRACHUS USING MICRONUCLEUS ASSAY AND ALKALINE SINGLE-CELL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS (COMET) ASSAY

Mercury and its salts are the major constituents of Ayurvedic, Chinese and Tibetan traditional formulations. The mercury is extensively reported to accumulate in food chain and cause many neurological disorders in environment. The safety assessment of mercury on the ectodermal application on animal model is rarely reported. The void in the scientific study on external exposure of mercury and its genotoxic inside the body lead to the necessity for the present study. The freshwater cat fish Clarias batrachus was used for broad specificity genotoxic indicators micronucleus assay and alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assays. The fish was exposed to 0.03 ppm of mercuric chloride for a period of 7, 14, 28 and 35 days ectodermally. The blood sample was assayed for the genotoxicity. The results revealed undoubted DNA damage through the micronuclei and alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assays. Hence it is concluded the usage of traditional medicines containing the mercury may be toxic at genetic level in prolonged usage.