Chlorophyllin, a sodium-copper salt derivative of chlorophyll a and b was evaluated at concentrations of 6.25, 12.5 and 25 mg/ml with regard to its clastogenic and anticlastogenic potential in Chinese hamster ovary cells CHO-k1 (wild-type) and CHO-xrs5 (DNA repair-defective), using a chromosomal aberration test. Cells were subjected to continuous exposure for 12 h to chlorophyllin in the presence or absence of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS, 310 mg/ml). The results demonstrate that under the experimental conditions utilized, chlorophyllin was not cytotoxic nor clastogenic in either of the cell systems employed. Moreover, anticlastogenic activity was also not observed. Key words Chlorophyllin, CHO cells, Chromosomal aberrations. Currently, there is a growing need to test synthetic and natural chemical compounds, which are in great numbers in our environment, for possible carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. In addition, many substances of plant origin are being investigated with regard to their antimutagenic/anticarcinogenic potential (Mitscher et al. 1992). Therefore, chlorophyllin, a sodium-copper salt derivative of chlorophyll, has been studied for its protective action against the carcinogenic effects of various physical and chemical agents, and how it relates to the mutagenic and clastogenic activity of genotoxic agents. Reported studies suggest that the effects of these compounds correlate with the concentrations used, however without any dose-response type relationship (Romert et al. 1992). Therefore, in view of the ambiguity with respect to the mechanism of action of chlorophylls and their derivatives in the protection against as well as in the induction of DNA damage, the aim of the present study was to evaluate chlorophyllin for clastogenicity and anticlastogenicity in wild-type (k1) and DNA repair-defective (xrs5) CHO cells using a chromosomal aberration test. Materials and methods Cell lines and culture conditions Wild-type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-k1) cells and a variant line defective in the repair of double-strand DNA (CHO-xrs5), furnished by the Mutagenesis Laboratory of USP-Ribeirão Preto (SP)/Brazil, were grown as monolayers in 25 cm 2 culture flasks. Cells were cultivated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM)/Ham's F12, supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 0.1% antibiotic-antimycotic solution, in a BOD chamber at 37°C. Under these conditions, the cell cycle was 12 h.