ANALYZES REGARDING THE CYTOTOXICITY OF ZnSO₄ EXCESS ON CELL DIVISION

Zinc is one of the essential elements for the development of the body, both plant and human, facilitating the processes of cell division as well as the maintenance of cellular physiological processes in normal parameters. In this work, the effects of zinc were monitored regarding the activity of mitotic division, in different time intervals and with different concentrations. Following the effect of different concentrations of zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), through the correlative links between the number of cells in division (MI), the mitotic index, the index of chromosomal aberrations (IAC), and the exposure time to the treatment, we managed to monitor the cytotoxic effect of ZnSO4. From the analysis of the correlations between the percentage of chromosomal aberrations and the different concentrations of ZnSO4, it was found that there was a strong positive correlation (r> 0.89). Therefore, the increased Zn concentration in cells favors the appearance of chromosomal aberrations (IAC). The increase in the exposure time from 24 hours to 72 hours, as well as the increase of the concentration from 10 ppm to 50 ppm, causes a strong negative correlation (r=-0.84). From the experiments, we can deduce the importance that zinc has in the cell and how much it can affect if it is present in excess.