Abstract
Homeopathic medicines comprise the use of pharmacotechnical processes that promote successive dilutions, followed by grinding or agitation of compounds. The purpose of this study was to assess the genotoxic potential of ultra-diluted cyclophosphamide (CF) and nux vomica associated with or without allopathic CF in Swiss Webster mice, using the micronucleus test. The compounds were prepared according to the Brazilian homeopathic pharmacopoeia. Swiss Webster mice were randomly divided into eight groups (n=6) according to the compounds to be tested and received by gavage (vehicle or CF) or by oral mucosa contact (ultra-diluted CF and nux vomica, and dynamized solutions) once a day for 7 days. After this, one of the groups treated with the dynamized compound was challenged by the administration of the allopathic CF. The dynamized ultra-diluted nux vomica and CF compounds showed lower white cell counts in mice. However, no compound was able to mitigate the genotoxic effects of CF in micronucleus assay. The dynamized compounds did not cause damage to the spleen and thymus, and when used intraperitoneally, they were able to mitigate the effect of CF on thymic cortical reduction in mice. Further studies with nux vomica and dynamized CF should be performed to better delineate their possible therapeutic potential in reducing adverse effects on chemotherapy.
Highlights
Homeopathy is a medical system officially recognized in many countries (Dantas, 2004), and its national regulatory framework and location within the health care system differ from country to country
Ultra-diluted CF and nux vomica were prepared according to the preparation and control methods described in the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, 3° Edição (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, 2011)
Relation between organ weights and body weight As for the liver, only the group that received dynamized cyclophosphamide had a different mean than the group that received allopathic CF in relation to the liver index (P=0.006)
Summary
Homeopathy is a medical system officially recognized in many countries (Dantas, 2004), and its national regulatory framework and location within the health care system differ from country to country. International agencies and government institutions accept the micronucleus assay as part of the recommended test battery to establish the evaluation and registration of new chemicals and pharmaceutical products that enter the world market annually (Choy, 2001) This assay was developed to identify chemical substances that caused damage to cellular genetic material, into which the test substance would be administered to the animal under sub-acute treatment, and its effect was measured by counting the micronucleated cell frequency in bone marrow smears (Borges et al, 2019; Schmid, 1976; MacGregor et al, 1987; Norppa & Falck, 2003; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1997). This test is widely used to evaluate the genotoxic effects of substances in vivo (Borges et al, 2019; Hussain, et al, 2020; Khayyat et al, 2017) or possible protective effects of certain substances on genotoxic induction of mutagenic drugs (Hussain et al, 2018)
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