Recombinogenic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects of azathioprine using in vivo assays

ABSTRACT

Azathioprine (Aza) is a purine antimetabolite immunosuppressant that is widely employed for immunosuppressive therapy in post-transplant recipients or patients with autoimmune diseases. Chronic use of immunosuppressants might produce several side effects, including a high rate of neoplasms in these patients. Considering that genotoxic effects are associated with an increased risk of developing cancer, the aim of this study was to examine the recombinogenic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects of Aza using Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster, as well as comet and micronucleus assays in mouse bone marrow cells. Further, the adverse effects of Aza were determined in mouse hepatic and renal tissues using histopathological analysis. Data demonstrated that Aza induced significant increased genotoxicity in D. melanogaster and mouse bone marrow cells at all concentrations tested. Homologous recombination was the predominant genotoxic event noted for the first time to be initiated by Aza in SMART. In histopathological analysis, Aza did not show any marked toxic activity in mouse hepatic and renal tissues. Therefore, the high rate of neoplasms reported in patients with long-term use of Aza may be attributed, at least partially, to the genotoxic action of this drug.

KEYWORDS:

• Homologous recombination
• genotoxicity
• SMART; comet assay
• micronucleus test

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support and assistance.

Disclosure statement

All the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.