title: Genotoxic effects of the alkaloids harman and harmine assessed by comet assay and chromosome aberration test in mammalian cells in vitro.
abstract: Harman and harmine are beta-carboline alkaloids which are present in plants widely used in medical practice, in beverages used for religious purposes in Brazil, as well as in tobacco smoke and over cooked food. In view of the controversial results observed in the literature about the mutagenic effects of these alkaloids, we studied their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in V79 Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts in vitro using single-cell gel assay, Comet assay, either in the presence or in absence of an exogenous metabolic activation system (S9-mix), and by the chromosome aberration test without S9-mix. Harmine was more cytotoxic than harman. Both harman and harmine increased aberrant cell frequency and induced DNA damage by the Comet assay. These results suggest that harman and harmine are genotoxic in V79 cells, probably as a consequence of their ability to induce DNA strand breaks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Biotecnology Center, UFRGS, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Prédio 43421, Campus Do Vale, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boeira
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erdtmann
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Henriques
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000187:drug effects*; D020552:Comet Assay; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004249:DNA Damage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006247:Harmine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D009153:Mutagens / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens; D006247:Harmine; C005010:harman