Micronucleus Analysis Research Articles

Multicolour FISH analysis of ionising radiation induced micronucleus formation in human lymphocytes.

Micronucleation of chromosomal DNA is an effective indicator of DNA damage and micronucleus (MN) analysis is a valuable tool for radiation biodosimetry studies. To gain a comprehensive knowledge of micronucleation process after ionising radiation (IR) exposure, whole genome-wide chromosome analysis is desirable. With this objective, multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) technique was utilised in the present study to characterise the chromosome content of spontaneous and IR-induced micronuclei in three human donors. M-FISH analysis revealed a radiation dose-dependant increase in the number of micronuclei with multi-chromosome material above 2 Gy and as many as 3-6 multicolour signals were detected in micronuclei after high γ-rays radiation doses (5-10 Gy). Involvement of each human chromosome material was more frequently detected in multicoloured micronuclei than in single-coloured micronuclei at high radiation doses (>2 Gy). Observation of dose-dependant increase in the MN frequency with multi-chromosome material may be due to misrepair of DNA double-strand breaks involving multiple chromosomes leading to asymmetric dicentric or ring chromosomes and acentric fragments. Chromosomes belonging to groups A (1, 2 and 3) and B (4 and 5) were frequently detected in 35-45% of the total micronuclei either as single entities or in combination with other chromosomes. Among the A and B groups, chromosome 1 material was consistently detected at high MN frequencies after radiation exposure in all the donors. Additionally, chromosomes 13 and 19 were more frequently observed in micronuclei than the expected frequency based on DNA content. Our whole genome approach utilising the M-FISH technique revealed that MN formation at high radiation doses might be complex involving multiple chromosome fragments. Understanding the fate and biological consequences of these multi-chromosome-containing micronuclei may provide key molecular insights for some aspects of IR-induced genomic instability and cancer development processes.

Genotoxic effects of oral-exposed TiO2 nanoparticles on bone marrow cells in young rats

To explore the genotoxic effects of oral-exposed TiO2 nanoparticles on bone marrow cells in young rats. Twenty-eight SD male young rats (4 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 groups, which were exposed to TiO2 nanoparticles ((75 ± 15) nm, anatase) through intragastric administration at 0, 10, 50 and 200 mg/kg body weight (bw) every day for 30 days. The bone marrow cells were collected for micronuclei and γ-H2AX immunofluorescence analysis. The percentage of γ-H2AX foci-positive cells (37.4 ± 10.0)% in the 50 mg/kg bw dose group were significantly higher than that in the control group (19.8 ± 3.1)% (t value was -17.59, P < 0.01). No significantly difference was found in polychromatic erythrocyte/normochromatic erythrocyte (PCE/NCE) ratio and PCE micronucleus rate between three experimental groups and control group. TiO2 nanoparticles can increase the frequency of DNA double-strand breaks in bone marrow cells, but has no effect on micronucleus of bone marrow cells in young rats.

Evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of copper–zinc alloy nanoparticles in human lung epithelial cells

In the present study, in vitro cytotoxic and genotoxic effect of copper–zinc alloy nanoparticles (Cu–Zn ANPs) on human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were investigated. XTT test and clonogenic assay were used to determine cytotoxic effects. Cell death mode and intracellular reactive oxygen species formations were analyzed using M30, M65 and ROS Elisa assays. Genotoxic effects were evaluated using micronucleus, comet and γ-H2AX foci assays. Cu–Zn ANPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. Characterization of Cu–Zn ANPs showed an average size of 200nm and zeta potential of −22mV. TEM analyses further revealed the intracellular localization of Cu–Zn ANPs in cytoplasm within 24h. Analysis of micronucleus, comet and γ-H2AX foci counts showed that exposure to Cu–Zn ANPs significantly induced chromosomal damage as well as single and double stranded DNA damage in BEAS-2B cells. Our results further indicated that exposure to Cu–Zn ANPs significantly induced intracellular ROS formation. Evaluation of M30:M65 ratios suggested that cell death was predominantly due to necrosis.

Inter-laboratory validation of the in-vivo flow cytometric micronucleus analysis method (MicroFlow®) in China

Although inter-laboratory validation efforts of the in-vivo micronucleus (MN) assay based on flow cytometry (FCM) have taken place in the EU and US, none have been organized in China. Therefore, an inter-laboratory study that included eight laboratories in China and one experienced reference laboratory in the US was coordinated to validate the in-vivo FCM MicroFlow® method to determine the frequency of micro-nucleated reticulocytes (MN-RETs) in rat blood. Assay reliability and reproducibility were evaluated with four known genotoxicants, and the results obtained with the FCM method were compared with the outcome of the traditional evaluation of bone-marrow micronuclei by use of microscopy. Each of the four chemicals was tested at three sites (two in China and the one US reference laboratory). After three consecutive daily exposures to a genotoxicant, blood and bone-marrow samples were obtained from rats 24h after the third dose. MN-RET frequencies were measured in 20,000 RET in blood by FCM, and micro-nucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MN-PCE) frequencies were measured in 2,000 PCEs in bone marrow by microscopy. For both methods, each genotoxicant was shown to induce a statistically significant increase in the frequency of MN after treatment with at least one dose. Where more doses than one caused an increase, responses occurred in a dose-dependent manner. Spearman's correlation coefficient (rs) for FCM-based MN-RET vs microscopy-based MN-PCE measurements (eight experiments, 200 paired measurements) was 0.723, indicating a high degree of correspondence between methods and compartments. The rs value for replicate FCM MN-RET measurements performed at the eight collaborative laboratories was 0.940 (n=200), and between the eight FCM laboratories with the reference laboratory was 0.933 (n=200), suggesting that the automated method is very well transferable between laboratories. The FCM micronucleus analysis method is currently used in many countries worldwide, and these data support its use for evaluating the in-vivo genotoxic potential of test chemicals in China.

EVALUACIÓN DE LA GENOTOXICIDAD DE UNA SOPA INSTANTÁNEA COMERCIAL UTILIZANDO LA PRUEBA DE MICRONUCLEOS EN VICIA FABA Y RATÓN CD-1

Due to the high market demand that instant soup has among the Mexican population, the question arose whether it may cause any mutagenic effects after its consumption. The aim of this study was to analyze the cyto-genotoxic effects caused after the exposure of this food product compounds to meristemal root cells of Vicia faba and to peripheral blood cells of CD-1 mice. To determine this effect, it was performed both analysis of micronuclei as well as toxicity degree by using these two biological models. The interpretation of our statistical significance tests (ANOVA and Dunnett’s multiple comparison p&amp;lt;0.05), allowed us to conclude that nor the soup chemical compounds neither the packaging induce clastogenic damage but they cause a slight delay on cell division to V. faba; nevertheless the compounds can cause clastogenic damage and cytotoxicity to peripheral blood cells of CD-1 mice.

Assessment of micronuclei and sister chromatid exchange frequency in the petroleum industry workers in province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia

Persons who work with petroleum and petroleum derivatives (PPD) are potentially at risk of developing cancer mostly due to the carcinogenity of benzene. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine in which degree occupational exposure of workers to PPD causes damage to DNA by analysis of micronuclei (MN), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and proliferation index (PI). 30 workers of refinery in Novi Sad, participated in the study as exposed and 30 volunteers as control group. Workers exposed to PPD had significantly higher values of MN and SCE in comparison to controls. Exposition time to PPD and type of working place have also significantly effects to DNA damage. The influence of confounding factor such as smoking and age were also evaluated.

Subchronic oral toxicity study of decitabine in combination with tetrahydrouridine in CD-1 mice.

Decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine; DAC) in combination with tetrahydrouridine (THU) is a potential oral therapy for sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. A study was conducted in mice to assess safety of this combination therapy using oral gavage of DAC and THU administered 1 hour prior to DAC on 2 consecutive days/week for up to 9 weeks followed by a 28-day recovery to support its clinical trials up to 9-week duration. Tetrahydrouridine, a competitive inhibitor of cytidine deaminase, was used in the combination to improve oral bioavailability of DAC. Doses were 167 mg/kg THU followed by 0, 0.2, 0.4, or 1.0 mg/kg DAC; THU vehicle followed by 1.0 mg/kg DAC; or vehicle alone. End points evaluated were clinical observations, body weights, food consumption, clinical pathology, gross/histopathology, bone marrow micronuclei, and toxicokinetics. There were no treatment-related effects noticed on body weight, food consumption, serum chemistry, or urinalysis parameters. Dose- and gender-dependent changes in plasma DAC levels were observed with a Cmax within 1 hour. At the 1 mg/kg dose tested, THU increased DAC plasma concentration (∼ 10-fold) as compared to DAC alone. Severe toxicity occurred in females receiving high-dose 1 mg/kg DAC + THU, requiring treatment discontinuation at week 5. Severity and incidence of microscopic findings increased in a dose-dependent fashion; findings included bone marrow hypocellularity (with corresponding hematologic changes and decreases in white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes), thymic/lymphoid depletion, intestinal epithelial apoptosis, and testicular degeneration. Bone marrow micronucleus analysis confirmed bone marrow cytotoxicity, suppression of erythropoiesis, and genotoxicity. Following the recovery period, a complete or trend toward resolution of these effects was observed. In conclusion, the combination therapy resulted in an increased sensitivity to DAC toxicity correlating with DAC plasma levels, and females are more sensitive compared to their male counterparts.

Flow cytometric analysis of micronuclei in rat peripheral blood: An interlaboratory reproducibility study

In anticipation of proposed OECD guideline changes that may include increasing the number of reticulocytes scored for micronuclei, an inter-laboratory reproducibility study of the rat peripheral blood micronucleus assay was performed using flow cytometry. In this experiment, male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were treated with the model clastogen cyclophosphamide (CP: 5, 10 or 15mg/kg) by a single oral administration. As controls, rats were treated with physiological saline (solvent) in the same manner as for the model clastogen. Peripheral blood was collected from each rat 48h after the treatment. The blood samples were prepared at the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, BioSafety Research Center (BSRC) in duplicate using the rat MicroFlowPLUS Kit. After fixation, one replicate set of samples was shipped to Litron Laboratories, and each sample was analyzed by flow cytometry at the two laboratories. In addition, the frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRETs) was determined at the BSRC by microscopic analysis using supravital acridine orange (AO) staining. The reproducibility of micronucleated reticulocyte frequencies analyzed by microscopy and flow cytometry showed good correlation (r2=0.84). The frequencies of micronucleated reticulocytes analyzed by flow cytometry at the two independent laboratories showed good concordance (r2=0.97). The data indicate that the flow cytometric micronucleus analysis method is a good alternative to manual microscopic analysis. Flow cytometry allows groups to readily score 5000 or even 20,000 RETs in a matter of minutes compared to manual analysis. This results in increased reliability of the assay by achieving better statistical power.

Genotoxicity and histological alterations in grey mullet Mugil liza exposed to petroleum water-soluble fraction (PWSF)

Petroleum hydrocarbons are considered one of the main organic chemicals found in water bodies. In the present study, the median lethal concentration (LC50) was estimated for mullet Mugil liza after acute exposure to petroleum water-soluble fraction (PWSF). Furthermore, histopathological studies and micronuclei frequency were also performed in order to observe deleterious effects of medium-term exposition to PWSF. Mullets (25 ± 2.3g) were exposed to chronic concentrations (1.7, 3.5 and 7% of PWSF), plus the control group, for 14 and 7days of clearance time. Throughout the experimental period (1, 4, 14 and 21days), blood samples were collected for analysis of micronucleus (MN) and liver and gills for histopathological study. For these procedures, seven fish were sampled per concentration tested. The LC50-96h was estimated at 37.5% of the PWSF. The time required for MN induction was 96h of exposure. The time of clearance was sufficient to achieve a MN frequency similar to that of the control group. Histopathological studies showed severe changes in the gill and liver tissues. The most relevant histopathology in the gills was telangiectasia. Hepatic histopathology such as cholestasis, dilated sinusoids and inflammatory infiltrates were commonly described. The MN test and histological study effectively detected damages caused by medium-term exposition to the PWSF, and despite the toxicity, a few days without exposure can minimize PWSF genotoxicity in juveniles of M. liza.

Ecotoxicological and genotoxic evaluation of Buenos Aires city (Argentina) hospital wastewater.

Hospital wastewater (HWW) constitutes a potential risk to the ecosystems and human health due to the presence of toxic and genotoxic chemical compounds. In the present work we investigated toxicity and genotoxicity of wastewaters from the public hospital of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The effluent from the sewage treatment plant (STP) serving around 10 million inhabitants was also evaluated. The study was carried out between April and September 2012. Toxicity and genotoxicity assessment was performed using the green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and the Allium cepa test, respectively. Toxicity assay showed that 55% of the samples were toxic to the algae (%I of growth between 23.9 and 54.8). The A. cepa test showed that 40% of the samples were genotoxic. The analysis of chromosome aberrations (CA) and micronucleus (MN) showed no significant differences between days and significant differences between months. The sample from the STP was not genotoxic to A. cepa but toxic to the algae (%I = 41%), showing that sewage treatment was not totally effective. This study highlights the need for environmental control programs and the establishment of advanced and effective effluent treatment plants in the hospitals, which are merely dumping the wastewaters in the municipal sewerage system.

Prevalence of FA-D2 Rare Complementation Group of Fanconi Anemia in Serbia

To investigate genetic subtypes of inherited bone marrow failure syndrome Fanconi anemia (FA) in Sebia. FA-D2 subtype was found to be the most frequent genetic subtype among investigated FA patients; specific observations of FA-D2 phenotype are pointed out. Several biological endpoints of FA cells in vitro such as radiation-induced level of lymphocyte micronuclei (radiosensitivity), base line and radiation induced level of the DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), leukocyte apoptosis, and telomere capping function were assessed. The results indicate that all FA-D2 patients display radioresistant in vitro response, which is seen as significantly reduced yield of radiation-induced micronuclei. On the contrary, FA-A patients display radiosensitive in vitro response seen as increased number of radiation-induced micronuclei (MN). A massive elimination of irradiated cells via apoptosis is found in both FA-A and FA-D2 subtypes. In FA-A subtype apoptosis positively relates with the yield of radiation-induced MN, whereas in FA-D2 subtype apoptosis relates with a high percentage of cells carrying dysfunctional telomeres. The present results unequivocally demonstrate that cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay and analyses of telomere capping function can be used to distinguish FA-D2 and FA-A complementation groups. Considering all biological endpoints were analyzed, it can be concluded that all FA patients are radiosensitive, regardless of their complementation group. Thus, using CBMN test and telomere capping function analysis can discriminate FA-A from FA-D2 complementation groups, which could be important for assessment the conditioning regimens prior to bone marrow transplantation.

A four-day oral treatment regimen for simultaneous micronucleus analyses in the glandular stomach, colon, and bone marrow of rats

Our aim was to develop a multi-tissue micronucleus (MN) test method for the simultaneous analysis of rat glandular stomach, colon, and bone marrow. We have evaluated the multi-tissue MN test method with a regimen in which rats were administered chemicals orally once per day for four days and the cells of each tissue were collected 24h after the final dose. The following compounds were studied: N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU), 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), N-methyl-N-nitrosourethane (NMUT), 1,2-dimethylhydrazine 2HCl (DMH), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine HCl (PhIP), KBrO3, amaranth (AM), and quercetin (QN). The gastrointestinal tract carcinogens increased the frequencies of micronucleated (MNed) cells in target tissue in a dose-dependent manner: MNU in gastric- and colonic-cells; 4NQO, MNNG, and NMUT in gastric cells; DMH and PhIP in colonic cells. In immature erythrocytes, MNU, 4NQO, DMH, and PhIP increased the frequency of MNed cells but MNNG and NMUT did not. The food additive KBrO3, which is known to be a renal carcinogen, increased the frequencies of MNed cells in the glandular stomach and bone marrow. The food additive AM and the plant flavonoid QN, which are non-carcinogenic in most studies, did not cause increased MNed cells in any of the three tissues. Our results indicate that this multi-tissue MN test method is useful for the comprehensive evaluation of the genotoxicity of orally administered compounds.

Allium Cepa Root Chromosomal Aberration Assay: A Review

Higher plants, an important material for genetic tests to monitor various pollutant present in the environment. Among the plant species, Alium cepa has been used to evaluate chromosome aberrations and disturbances in the mitotic cycle. Now days, it has been used to assess a great number of genotoxic/antigenotoxic agents, which contributes to its increasing application in environmental monitoring. The A. cepa is commonly used as a test organism because it is cheap, easily available and handled and has advantages over other short-term tests. Among the endpoints of A. cepa root chromosomal aberrations, detection of chromosomal aberration have been the most used one to detect genotoxicity/ antigenotoxicity along the years. The mitotic index and chromosomal abnormalities are used to evaluate genotoxicity and micronucleus analysis used to verify mutagenicity of different chemicals. The Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay is widely used to determine genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of different plant extracts.

Alteration of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine profile and humoral immune responses associated with chromate exposure

BackgroundThe role of chromate exposure in the deregulation of total lymphocyte and other immune factors is largely unclear.ObjectivesWe aimed to examine alteration of the Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine profile and humoral indicators...

Role of recombinant human erythropoietin in mitomycin C-induced genotoxicity: Analysis of DNA fragmentation, chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in rat bone-marrow cells

Mitomycin C (MMC) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents. However, during clinical use several side effects may occur. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO), a glycoprotein that regulates haematopoiesis, has been shown to exert an important cyto-protective effect in many tissues. The aim of this study was to explore whether rhEPO protects against MMC-induced genotoxicity in rat bone-marrow cells. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into six groups of 18 animals each: a control group, a ‘rhEPO alone’ group, an ‘MMC alone’ group and three ‘rhEPO+MMC’ groups (pre-, co- and post-treatment conditions). Our results show that MMC induced a noticeable genotoxic effect in rat bone-marrow cells. rhEPO reduced the effects of MMC significantly in every type of experiment conducted, such as the frequency of micronuclei, the percentage of chromosome aberrations and the level of DNA damage measured with the comet assay. The protective effect of rhEPO was more efficient when it was given 24h prior to MMC treatment.

Role of Pistia stratiotes on Radiation Induced Genotoxicity : Analysis of Micronucleus and Chromosome Aberrations in vivo

The present study aimed to examine the radioprotective potentiality and efficacy of Pistia stratiotes against damage induced by 60Co gamma radiation. Mice were exposed to 4 Gy 60Co gamma rays. MeOH extract (50 and 100 mg/kg body wt) was administered orally with irradiation. Bone marrow protection was evaluated by scoring the different types of individual aberrations, aberrant metaphases and micronuclei formation. Significant reduction in number of aberrant cells and different type of aberrations was observed in treated group compared to irradiated untreated group of animals. The administration of MeOH leaf extract of Pistia stratiotes to the animals showed significant reduction in micronucleus induction. The presence of large amount of two di-Cglycosylflavones of the vicenin and lucenin and lesser amounts of the anthocyanin cyaniding-3-glucoside and a luteolin-7-glycoside, and traces of the mono- C-glycosyl flavones, vitexin and orientin found to be responsible for the observed bioefficacy. Our findings support the use of Pistia stratiotes (ignored weed) as health promoting food and its potential for clinical use.

Automatic analysis of the micronucleus test in primary human lymphocytes using image analysis

The in vitro micronucleus test (MNT) is a well-established test for early screening of new chemical entities in industrial toxicology. For assessing the clastogenic or aneugenic potential of a test compound, micronucleus induction in cells has been shown repeatedly to be a sensitive and a specific parameter. Various automated systems to replace the tedious and time-consuming visual slide analysis procedure as well as flow cytometric approaches have been discussed. The ROBIAS (Robotic Image Analysis System) for both automatic cytotoxicity assessment and micronucleus detection in human lymphocytes was developed at Novartis where the assay has been used to validate positive results obtained in the MNT in TK6 cells, which serves as the primary screening system for genotoxicity profiling in early drug development. In addition, the in vitro MNT has become an accepted alternative to support clinical studies and will be used for regulatory purposes as well. The comparison of visual with automatic analysis results showed a high degree of concordance for 25 independent experiments conducted for the profiling of 12 compounds. For concentration series of cyclophosphamide and carbendazim, a very good correlation between automatic and visual analysis by two examiners could be established, both for the relative division index used as cytotoxicity parameter, as well as for micronuclei scoring in mono- and binucleated cells. Generally, false-positive micronucleus decisions could be controlled by fast and simple relocation of the automatically detected patterns. The possibility to analyse 24 slides within 65h by automatic analysis over the weekend and the high reproducibility of the results make automatic image processing a powerful tool for the micronucleus analysis in primary human lymphocytes. The automated slide analysis for the MNT in human lymphocytes complements the portfolio of image analysis applications on ROBIAS which is supporting various assays at Novartis.

Genotoxic and mutagenic effects of permethrin in mice: Micronuclei analysis in peripheral blood erythrocytes

Pyrethroids such as permethrin are synthetic compounds widely used in the agriculture of many countries to combat plagues and in domestic products, such as acaricides. Not so long ago these chemicals were characterized as non-toxic for non-target organisms; however, recent studies have showed that these compounds could present toxic potential for many organisms. In this sense, this study presents genotoxic and mutagenic potential of permethrin administered intraperitoneally in mice under artificial conditions by the use of micronucleus assay in the peripheral blood of these animals. The mice were divided into five groups: group I = negative control (distilled water), group II = positive control (cyclophosphamide), group III = 30% of permethrin LD(50) (96 mg/kg), group IV = 50% of permethrin LD(50) (160 mg/kg), and group V = 80% of permethrin LD(50) (256 mg/kg). The peripheral blood was collected 24, 48, and 72 h after treatment. Results showed that all the tested permethrin dosages presented genotoxic and mutagenic effects 24 h after treatment, which would contradict the classification of this chemical product as moderately toxic, i.e., unable to cause damages to the cell DNA.

Efficient monitoring of in vivo pig-a gene mutation and chromosomal damage: summary of 7 published studies and results from 11 new reference compounds.

The ability to effectively monitor gene mutation and micronucleated reticulocyte (MN-RET) frequency in short-term and repeated dosing schedules was investigated using the recently developed flow cytometric Pig-a mutation assay and flow cytometric micronucleus analysis. Eight reference genotoxicants and three presumed nongenotoxic compounds were studied: chlorambucil, melphalan, thiotepa, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, 2-acetylaminofluorene, hydroxyurea, methyl methanesulfonate, o-anthranilic acid, sulfisoxazole, and sodium chloride. These experiments extend previously published results with seven other chemicals. Male Sprague Dawley rats were treated via gavage for 3 or 28 consecutive days with several dose levels of each chemical up to the maximum tolerated dose. Blood samples were collected at several time points up to day 45 and were analyzed for Pig-a mutation with a dual-labeling method that facilitates mutant cell frequency measurements in both total erythrocytes and the reticulocyte subpopulation. An immunomagnetic separation technique was used to increase the efficiency of scoring mutant cells. Blood samples collected on day 4, and day 29 for the 28-day study, were evaluated for MN-RET frequency. The three nongenotoxicants did not induce Pig-a or MN-RET responses. All genotoxicants except hydroxyurea increased the frequency of Pig-a mutant reticulocytes and erythrocytes. Significant increases in MN-RET frequency were observed for each of the genotoxicants at both time points. Whereas the highest Pig-a responses tended to occur in the 28-day studies, when total dose was greatest, the highest induction of MN-RET was observed in the 3-day studies, when dose per day was greatest. There was no clear relationship between the maximal Pig-a response of a given chemical and its corresponding maximal MN-RET response, despite the fact that both endpoints were determined in the same cell lineage. Taken with other previously published results, these data demonstrate the value of integrating Pig-a and micronucleus endpoints into in vivo toxicology studies, thereby providing information about mutagenesis and chromosomal damage in the same animals from which toxicity, toxicokinetics, and metabolism data are obtained.

Involvement of intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in neosergeolide-induced apoptosis of human HL-60 leukemia cells: The role of mitochondrial permeability transition pore and DNA damage

Context: Quassinoids are biologically active secondary metabolites found exclusively in the Simaroubaceae family of plants. These compounds generally present important biological properties, including cytotoxic and antitumor properties.Objective: In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of neosergeolide, a quassinoid isolated from Picrolemma sprucei Hook. f., were evaluated in human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60).Materials and methods: Cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effects were evaluated by the MTT assay, May-Grünwald-Giemsa’s staining, BrdU incorporation test, and flow cytometry procedures. The comet assay and micronuclei analysis were applied to determine the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of neosergeolide.Results: After 24 h exposure, neosergeolide strongly inhibited cancer cell proliferation (IC50 0.1 µM), and its activity seemed to be selective to tumor cells because it had no antiproliferative effect on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at tested concentrations. Apoptosis was induced at submicromolar concentrations (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 µM) as evidenced by morphological changes, mitochondrial depolarization, phosphatidylserine externalization, caspases activation, and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Additionally, neosergeolide effects were prevented by cyclosporine A (CsA), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore, which reinforced the participation of intrinsic pathways in the apoptotic process induced by this natural quassinoid. Direct DNA damage was further confirmed by comet assay and cytokinesis-block micronucleus test.Discussion and conclusion: The present study provided experimental evidence to support the underlying mechanism of action involved in the neosergeolide-mediated apoptosis. In addition, no antiproliferative effect or DNA damage effect of neosergeolide was evident in PBMC, highlighting its therapeutic potential.