Mutagenicity of hydroxyurea in lymphocytes from patients with sickle cell disease
Genet. mol. biol
;
27(1): 115-117, 2004. ilus, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-357883
ABSTRACT
Hydroxyurea is commonly used in the treatment of myeloproliferative diseases and in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The use of this antineoplastic agent in patients with SCD is justified because of the drug's ability to increase fetal hemoglobin levels, thereby decreasing the severity of SCD. However, high doses or prolonged treatment with hydroxyurea can be cytotoxic or genotoxic for these patients, with an increased risk of developing acute leukemia. This danger can be avoided by monitoring the lymphocytes of patients treated with hydroxyurea. Cytogenetic tests are important endpoints for monitoring the physiological effects of physical and chemical agents, including drugs. In this work, we assessed the genotoxicity of hydroxyurea in short-term cultures of lymphocytes from SCD patients. Hydroxyurea was not cytotoxic or genotoxic at the concentrations tested in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. These results support the use of hydroxyurea in the treatment of SCD, although further work is necessary to understand the effects of this drug in vivo.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Mutagenesis
/
Hydroxyurea
/
Anemia, Sickle Cell
/
Antisickling Agents
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Genet. mol. biol
Journal subject:
Genetics
Year:
2004
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro/BR
/
Universidade Federal do Pará/BR
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