Genotoxicity studies on the antimicrobial drug sulfamethoxazole in cultured human lymphocytes.
The genotoxicity of the antimicrobial drug sulfamethoxazole was evaluated in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The frequencies of sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) were scored as genetic endpoints. Both tests cover a wide range of induced genetic damage such as primary DNA damage, clastogenicity and aneugenicity. Cultures were set up with blood samples from two healthy donors and the treatment was done with different sulfamethoxazole concentrations ranging from 10 to 500 microg/ml. From the results obtained it appears that this drug is able to induce weak genotoxic effects, as revealed by the slight increase in the SCE and MN frequencies, at least at one of the two highest concentrations tested. However, the results of the SCE assay should be interpreted with caution because the increase is just significant. In addition, cyotoxic/cytostatic effects of sulfamethoxazole were revealed by a decrease in the proliferative rate index (PRI) and in the cytokinesis block proliferation index (CBPI).
Department of Cell Biology, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed
A
Abou-Eisha
Ricard
R
Marcos
Amadeu
A
Creus
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects; D004249:DNA Damage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000633:toxicity*
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D004247:DNA; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole