RESUMO
We evaluated the capacity of tequila and brandy to induce synaptonemal complex (SC) breaks in mouse spermatocytes. The alcoholic beverages were 20% diluted in distilled water and administered daily by oral intubation for 21 days (1, 2, and 3 g/kg, six animals per group). A positive control group was administered cyclophosphamide (CP) (20 mg/kg), and another group of mice was treated with distilled water. The results indicated the following: (i) tequila induced a statistically significant increase in SC damage with 2 g/kg and 3 g/kg, and brandy was genotoxic only with 3 g/kg, (ii) CP induced almost a duplication of the total number of breaks produced by tequila or brandy; (iii) the average weight increase in the animals was 3.3 g, but the group treated with the highest dose of tequila showed a slight weight decrease; (iv) the weight of the testes did not show any significant difference among groups of animals; and (v) there were no significant differences between groups with respect to the frequency of pachytenes (mean number: 195 in 1000 cells).