Journal of Environmental Biology

Cytogenetic evaluation of Fansidar on human lymphocyte chromosomes in vitro

Author Details

Nuzhat Praveen

Section of Genetics, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh - 202 002, India

Muheet Alam Saifi

Department of Zoology, College of Science, PO Box-2455, King Saud University- Riyadh - 11451, Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia

G.G.H.A. Shadab

(Corresponding author)

Section of Genetics, Department of Zoology, AMU Aligarh - 202 002, India

e-mail: gghas.amu@gmail.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

07 September 2009

Revised received:

10 March 2010

Accepted:

20 April 2010

Abstract

Fansidar is a fixed combination of two antimalarial agents a diaminopyrimidine (Pyrimethamine) and a sulphonamide (Sulphadoxine) in the ratio 1:20- that have been used extensively worldwide for the treatment of Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria, toxoplasmosis and pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study examined the effect of Fansidar on chromosomes in human lymphocyte culture. Fansidar was added to peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures in vitro at four different concentrations: 5, 15, 25 and 50 ?l in the ratio 1:20, 3:60, 5:100 and 10:200 ?g ml^-1. Result shows that this drug induces moderate increase in the frequency of gaps, breaks and rearrangements. Therefore it can be concluded that Fansidar has moderate clastogenic effect on human chromosomes in vitro.

Key words

Fansidar, Lymphocyte chromosomes, Chromosomal aberration, Clastogenicity, Genotoxicity

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