Evaluation of metal salts and non-azo dyes for aneugenic potential in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Three metal-salts (cobalt chloride, lithium sulphate and sodium azide) and nine fabric dyes (navilene yellow, navilene yellow brown, navilene golden yellow, navilene navy blue, terenix red, terenix brown, terenix yellow brown and terenix navy blue) were tested for their ability to induce aneuploidy using D61M strain of S. cerevisiae, as a test system. When the cells were grown in liquid YEPD medium containing different concentrations of metal salts and dyes in increasing order for 4–5 generations, there was decrease in survival and increase in the frequency of monosomics and red cycloheximide resistant colonies in case of metal salts; whereas all dyes except terenix yellow brown killed cells. None of the dyes except navilene yellow brown induced monosomics.