title: Enhancement of the activity of bleomycin by cysteamine in a micronucleus assay in G0 human lymphocytes.
abstract: The aminothiol cysteamine enhances the induction of micronuclei by bleomycin in G0 human lymphocytes. The potentiation of bleomycin (12.5, 25, 50, or 100 micrograms/ml) increased with cysteamine concentration from 5 to 20 mM in a 2-h treatment before culturing the cells for the cytokinesis-block assay. The maximum clastogenic activity of bleomycin in the presence of cysteamine was more than 10-fold greater than that of the same dosage of bleomycin alone. Both the thiol and amine functions of aminothiols seem to contribute to the potentiation of bleomycin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA 01610, USA.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Littlefield
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000187:drug effects; D003543:Cysteamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D003543:Cysteamine