Vicia root-mirconucleus and sister chromatid exchange assays on the genotoxicity of selenium compounds

Selenium (Se) is an important metalloid with industrial, environmental, biological and toxicological significance. Excessive selenium in soil and water may contribute to environmental selenium pollution, and affect plant growth and human health. By using Vicia faba micronucleus (MN) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) tests, possible genotoxicity of sodium selenite and sodium biselenite was evaluated in this study. The results showed that sodium selenite, at concentrations from 0.01 to 10.0 mg/L, induced a 1.9–3.9-fold increase in MN frequency and a 1.5–1.6-fold increase in SCE frequency, with a statistically significantly difference from the control (P < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). Sodium selenite also caused mitotic delay and a 15–80% decrease in mitotic indices (MI), but at the lowest concentration (0.005 mg/L), it slightly stimulated mitotic activity. Similarly, the frequencies of MN and SCE also increased significantly in sodium biselenite treated samples, with MI decline only at relatively higher effective concentrations. Results of the present study suggest that selenite is genotoxic to V. faba root cells and may be a genotoxic risk to human health.