Aneuploidy induced by chloral hydrate detected in human lymphocytes with the Y97 probe.

Chloral hydrate (CH) has been assayed for its ability to induce chromosome number variation in human lymphocytes in culture. Aneuploidy induction has been detected by means of in situ hybridization on interphase nuclei with a chromosome Y-specific DNA probe. A dose-dependent increase in the number of hyperdiploid nuclei was found at CH concentrations ranging from 250 to 750 micrograms/ml. These results represent a further contribution to the validation of the method which gave a positive response with drugs characterized by different mechanisms of action and therefore may be of general use in detecting aneuploidy in mammalian cells.