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Genotoxic effects of rotenone on cultured lymphocytes
Patrícia Danielle Lima de Lima1, Elizabeth Sumi Yamada2, Edmar Tavares da Costa2,
Claudia do O. Pessoa3, Silvia Helena Barem Rabenhorst4, Marcelo de Oliveira Bahia1,5,
Plínio Cerqueira Cardoso5, Raquel Alves Santos5, Marilia de Arruda Cardoso Smith6 and Rommel Rodríguez Burbano1,6
1Laboratório de Citogenética Humana, Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas,
2Laboratório de Neuropatologia Experimental, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto,
Universidade do Pará, Belém, PA, Brasil
3Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia,
4Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Departamento de Patologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
5Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
6Disciplina de Genética, Departamento de Morfologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina,
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
Corresponding author: R.R. Burbano
E-mail: rommel@ufpa.br
Genet. Mol. Res. 4 (4): 822-831 (2005)
Received April 13, 2005
Accepted August 10, 2005
Published December 30, 2005

ABSTRACT. Rotenone is a heterocyclic compound widely used as an insecticide, acaricide and piscicide. Its toxicity is mainly caused by the inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory processes and ATP production, resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species can interact with DNA, RNA and proteins, leading to cell damage, followed by death. We used the Comet assay, and we analyzed chromosome aberrations, in order to evaluate the genotoxic and clastogenic effects of rotenone on the different phases of the cell cycle. Cultured human lymphocytes were treated with 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 µg/mL rotenone during the G1, G1/S, S (pulses of 1 and 6 h), and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Rotenone induced DNA damage and was clastogenic, but the clastogenicity was detected only with treatments conducted during the G1/S and S phases of the cell cycle. Rotenone also induced endoreduplication and polyploidy in treatments made during G1, while it significantly reduced the mitotic index in all phases of the cell cycle.

Key words: Rotenone, Chromosome aberration, Comet assay

 

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