Metronidazole exhibits no clastogenic activity in a double-blind cross-over study on Crohn's patients

Abstract

Chromosome analysis was carried out on 22 patients with Crohn's disease, taking part in a double-blind clinical trial of metronidazole and sulphasalazine. The patients were randomized into 2 groups, one beginning on metronidazole 0.8 g daily, the other on sulphasalazine 3 g daily, and after 4 months' treatment changing to the other drug for another 4 months' treatment. Sampling for chromosome analysis was carried out at 0, 1, 4, 5 and 8 months of treatment. Neither metronidazole nor sulphasalazine produced any significant increase in the individual types of chromosome aberrations from month 0 to 4. There was a slight but not significant increase in the total number of aberrations after sulphasalazine treatment but not after metronidazole treatment. A significant increase in the number of chromatid and isochromatid breaks was found after the combined treatment, i.e. from month 0 to month 8, when the means for all 22 patients were analysed. However, metronidazole at a daily dose of 0.8 g for four months did not increase the level of chromosomal aberrations in Crohn's patients.