ABSTRACT
Genotoxicity evaluation of a commonly used synthetic androgen, Oxymetholone, was carried out in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) was used as genetic end point. The concentrations of the drug were determined after observing its effects on the mitotic index. A wide range of concentrations, i.e., 25, 50, and 100 micro g/ml of the drug, were used to determine the genotoxic effects in the absence as well as in the presence of rat liver microsomal activation system (S9 mix). The drug did not induce any significant increase in the SCE frequency at any of the concentrations either in the presence or in the absence of S9 mix. The maximum value of SCE was observed in the absence of S9 mix at 100 microg/ml concentration (i.e., 1.38+/-0.080/cell), which was not significant statistically. Moreover, the drug was not effective in increasing the SCE frequency even in the presence of S9 mix. The maximum value of SCE (i.e., 1.78+/-0.103/cell) was observed at 50 microg/ml of concentration in the presence of S9 mix. A dose relationship was also not observed. It was concluded that Oxymetholone does not affect the genetic material in human lymphocytes at a wide range of concentrations in the SCE assay.
Subject(s)
Lymphocytes/drug effects , Oxymetholone/pharmacology , Sister Chromatid Exchange/drug effects , Anabolic Agents/pharmacology , Anabolic Agents/toxicity , Animals , Cells, Cultured , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Humans , Lymphocytes/chemistry , Lymphocytes/metabolism , Micronucleus Tests , Mutagenicity Tests , Oxymetholone/toxicity , RatsABSTRACT
Lectins, a group of specific glycoproteins present in animal as well as plant cells, are used as differentiating markers to study cancers and metastatic cell lines. This property of lectins depends on the process of cellular glycosylation. Glycosylation of some of the extracellular membrane proteins and lipids maintains the cell/cell and cell/matrix interactions. Chemical alterations in glycosylation play an important role in the metastatic behavior of tumor cells. Carbohydrate residues of the membrane glycoproteins can be detected using lectins due to their binding specificity to carbohydrates. Lectins, therefore have gained an importance in the field of cancer research. Galectins, a specialized group of lectin like proteins that are Ca+ independent and galactoside binding, are also considered as differentiation markers in some specific cancers like the carcinomas of thyroid.Thus the use of lectins and galectins to identify specific carbohydrates present on cell surface help in invasion and metastasis processes.
