The protective effect of beta-carotene on genotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide.
The influence of beta-carotene on the clastogenicity of the indirect-acting mutagen cyclophosphamide (CPA) was investigated in mice, in vivo, for the induction of chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells (BM). beta-Carotene (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) was administered by gavage for 5 consecutive days. 4 h after the last treatment with beta-carotene, the mice were injected intraperitoneally with CPA, and the BM cells were fixed after 16, 24 and 32 h for the evaluation of the frequency of chromosome aberrations. The results showed that beta-carotene was effective in reducing chromosomal damage induced by CPA with the increase of its concentration up to a level after which this effect was not observed. This anticlastogenicity was better detected when the cells were fixed at 32 h, although a tendency in reducing the CPA clastogenicity was already observed at 16 and 24 h. Our results suggest that beta-carotene provides significant protection against the genotoxicity of CPA, although no dose-effect relationship on the frequencies of cells with chromosomal aberrations was observed.
Laboratório de Toxicologia e Genética Toxicológica, Escola de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Ondina, Salvador, Brazil.
D M
DM
Salvadori
L R
LR
Ribeiro
M D
MD
Oliveira
C A
CA
Pereira
W
W
Beçak
D000818:Animals; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019207:beta Carotene
D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids; D003520:Cyclophosphamide