Chlorhexidine induces DNA damage in rat peripheral leukocytes and oral mucosal cells.
OBJECTIVE
Chlorhexidine digluconate is widely used in dental practice for decreasing plaque control, controlling gingivitis and disinfecting root canals. However, the undesirable effects of chlorhexidine digluconate regarding its genotoxicity are conflicting in the literature. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the genotoxicity of chlorhexidine digluconate in rat peripheral blood and oral mucosal cells by the single cell gel (comet) assay and micronucleus assay.


METHODS
Thirty male Wistar rats were distributed into three groups: negative control; experimental group orally treated with 0.5 ml of 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate, twice daily, during 8 days; and positive control, which received 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide at 0.5 g/l by drinking water.


RESULTS
A statistically significant increase of DNA damage was observed in leukocytes and oral mucosal cells of the chlorhexidine digluconate treated group, as assessed by the comet assay. However, no increase of micronucleated cells was detected in reticulocytes from peripheral blood cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, the data indicate that chlorhexidine digluconate is able to induce primary DNA damage in leukocytes and in oral mucosal cells, but no chromosome breakage or loss in erythrocytes.
Núcleo de Avaliação Toxicogenética e Cancerígena (TOXICAN), Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. ak92@hotmail.com
Daniel Araki
DA
Ribeiro
Ana Paula
AP
Bazo
Carla Adriene
CA
da Silva Franchi
Mariângela Esther Alencar
ME
Marques
Daisy Maria Favero
DM
Salvadori
D000818:Animals; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000633:toxicity*; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity*; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; C010882:chlorhexidine gluconate; D002710:Chlorhexidine