title: Potentiation by caffeine of the frequencies of micronuclei induced by mitomycin C and cyclophosphamide in young mice.
abstract: Employing the micronucleus test in mouse bone marrow and in fetal mouse liver, the possible clastogenicity of caffeine as well as its influence on MMC- and CP-induced micronucleus levels were studied. The treatment of male and female C57Bl or BDF1 (C57Bl x DBA2) mice with caffeine (1 or 3 x 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, s.c.) had no clastogenic effect in mouse bone marrow or in the fetal livers and maternal bone marrow when pregnant mice were injected with caffeine on day 16-17 of gestation. MMC (2.0 mg/kg, i.p.) increased up to 10-30-fold the number of MNPCEs in bone marrow compared to a 3-7 fold elevation of MNPCEs in fetal liver. A similar effect was also established in pregnant mice treated with CP (30 mg/kg, i.p.). No significant sex differences in spontaneous and MMC- or CP-induced MNPCEs levels were established in C57Bl and BDF1 mice. However, a significantly higher spontaneous rate of MNPCEs as well as a better-expressed responsiveness to the clastogenic activity of MMC and CP were established in C57Bl compared to BDF1 mice. The pregnancy had no effect on MMC- or CP-induced clastogenicity although a tendency to a decreased sensitivity to the damaging activity of MMC seemed to be detected in pregnant C57Bl mice compared to virgin female animals. The combined treatment of mice with caffeine (3 x 100 mg/kg) and MMC or CP caused an up to 45-49% potentiation of clastogenesis in the bone marrow of male, female and pregnant female C57Bl and BDF1 mice but not in fetal mouse livers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, National Center of Oncology, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Blagoeva
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Balansky
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mircheva
mesh_terms: D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000187:drug effects; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D008937:Mitomycins; D002110:Caffeine; D016685:Mitomycin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide