体内Pig-a基因突变试验方法的开发

体内基因突变是遗传毒理试验中非常重要的检测终点。国际人用药物注册技术协调会议（ICH）新版遗传毒性指导原则的出台,对体内遗传毒性检测方法的发展提出了更高的要求。新的检测体细胞突变的体内实验方法即磷脂酰肌醇聚糖A（Pig-a）基因突变试验,有望成为一项新药遗传毒性评价的标准试验。本文简要综述Pig-a体内基因突变试验的特点及其在新品种开发遗传毒性检测中的应用。     

大鼠体内彗星试验方法的建立与应用研究

目的 建立大鼠肝细胞和外周血淋巴细胞的体内彗星试验方法 ,并应用该方法对遗传毒性阳性物甲磺酸乙酯(EMS)和环磷酰胺(CPA)进行检测。方法选择SD雄性大鼠为实验动物,分别给予不同剂量EMS和CPA。给药结束后,采集外周血样本和摘取动物左侧肝叶组织样本,铺制成单细胞凝胶玻片。玻片经裂解、解旋、电泳、中和、脱水等步骤后,得到可观察的实验标本。染色标本,并在40×荧光显微镜下观察拍照,使用专业分析软件对单细胞电泳图像进行分析和测定。结果成功建立了基于大鼠肝细胞和外周血淋巴细胞的体内彗星试验方法。经该方法检测,EMS结果为阳性,CPA结果为阴性,EMS适合作为本方法的阳性对照。结论成功建立大鼠体内彗星试验方法 ,并可应用于遗传毒性检测。     

Preclinical safety evaluation of low molecular weight heparin–deoxycholate conjugates as an oral anticoagulant

The preclinical safety of a newly developed oral anticoagulant, the low molecular weight heparin–deoxycholate conjugate (OH09208), was evaluated by a comprehensive evaluating program in compliance with standard guidelines. The single dose oral toxicity study in rats receiving 2000 and 5000 mg kg^?1 of OH09208 did not reveal any mortality, unusual body weight changes or necropsy findings. The results of the 4‐week oral toxicity study with a 4‐week recovery program in rats receiving OH09208 in doses of 100, 300 and 1000 mg kg^?1 day^?1 did not reveal any mortality, or indicate any unusual clinical signs, or show any toxicokinetic relationships to the administration of OH09208. Although the increase in liver enzymes in one male dog treated with 300 mg kg^?1 day^?1 and one female dog treated with 1000 mg kg^?1 day^?1 could not be excluded from the effect of the test substance, no other toxicologically significant changes were observed in the 4‐week oral toxicity study with a 4‐week recovery in beagle dogs. Thus, while the no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level value from the 4‐week study in both male and female rats was 1000 mg kg^?1 day^?1, those from the 4‐week study in male and female beagle dogs were 300 and 1000 mg kg^?1 day^?1, respectively. Furthermore, OH09208 did not induce anaphylactic reactions in guinea pigs, micronucleated bone marrow cells in male ICR mice, chromosomal aberration in Chinese hamster lung cell lines, bacterial reverse mutation, and any abnormalities in hERG current assay, mouse central nervous system and dog cardiovascular studies. Overall, there were no unexpected toxicities in this preclinical study that might have precluded the safe administration of OH09208 to humans. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Essential oil from fruit of Xylopia langsdorffiana: antitumour activity and toxicity

Context: The genus Xylopia L. (Annonaceae) includes aromatic plants that have both nutritional and medicinal uses. Essential oils of Xylopia species have antitumour effects. However, the efficacy of the essential oil from the fruit of Xylopia langsdorffiana St. Hil & Tul. (EOX) has not been examined.

Objective: EOX was evaluated to determine its chemical composition, antitumour activity and toxicity.

Materials and methods: EOX was obtained from fresh fruits of X. langsdorffiana subjected to hydrodistillation, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to characterize the chemical composition of EOX. The toxicity of EOX was evaluated using haemolysis, acute toxicity and micronucleus assays. The in vitro antitumour activity of EOX was investigated using the sulforhodamine B assay. The sarcoma 180 murine tumour model was used to evaluate the in vivo antitumour activity and toxicity of EOX (50 and 100?mg/kg) after 7 d of treatment.

Results: The major components of EOX were α-pinene (34.57%) and limonene (31.75%). The HC₅₀ (concentration producing 50% haemolysis) was 293.6?μg/ml. EOX showed greater selectivity for the leukaemia cell line K562, with total growth inhibition (TGI) (concentration producing TGI) of 1.8?μg/ml, and for multidrug-resistant ovarian tumour cell line NCI/ADR-RES (TGI of 45.4?μg/ml). The LD₅₀ was approximately 351.09?mg/kg. At doses of 50 and 100?mg/kg, EOX inhibited the in vivo growth of sarcoma 180 by 38.67 and 54.32%, respectively. EOX displayed minor hepatic alterations characteristic of acute hepatitis and induced no genotoxicity.

Conclusion: EOX showed in vitro and in vivo antitumour activity and low toxicity, which warrants further pharmacological studies.     

Modulatory effects of gentisic acid against genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in Swiss albino mice

Objectives This study evaluated the protective effects of gentisic acid (GA) against genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) in Swiss albino mice. Methods Mice were pretreated with GA orally at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days before the administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg CP. The ameliorative effect of GA on genotoxicity was studied using the in‐vivo bone marrow micronuclei induction test, DNA integrity and alkaline unwinding assay. The activity of various oxidative stress enzymes were estimated in hepatic tissue. Key findings A single intraperitoneal administration of CP in mice increased the malondialdehyde level, depleted the glutathione content and antioxidant enzyme activity (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase and quinone reductase), and induced DNA strand breaks and micronuclei induction. Oral pretreatment with GA at both doses caused a significant reduction in malondialdehyde and glutathione levels, restoration of antioxidant enzyme activity, reduction in micronuclei formation and DNA fragmentation. Serum toxicity marker enzymes such as aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase were increased after CP treatment but restored in GA pretreated groups. Conclusion The results support the protective effect of GA against CP induced genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity.     

EILATox-Oregon Workshop: blind study evaluation of Vitotox test with genotoxic and cytotoxic sample library

In order to assess the robustness, sensitivity and specificity of a recently developed Vitotox test, 17 blind coded chemicals and three environmental water samples were tested at the EILATox-Oregon Workshop using the Thermo Electron Vitotox kit. The Vitotox test is a rapid geno- and cytotoxicity test using standard 96- or 384-well microtitre plates. The genotoxicity test is based on two genetically modified Salmonella typhimurium strains containing bacterial luciferase operon from Vibrio fisheri under the SOS inducible promoter. The SOS system is an inducible network in Escherichia coli that responds to DNA damage and activates DNA repair. The Vitotox genotoxicity test bacteria strain carries bacterial luciferase genes under the control of SOS inducible promoter and therefore any DNA damage inside the cells induces the production of bacterial luciferase. The luciferase expression is then followed with a microtitre plate luminometer for 3 h after mixing different dilutions of sample with the test bacteria. The genotoxicity index is calculated for each dilution and the genotoxicity of the sample is interpreted based on kinetic time curves and genotoxicity vs concentration/dilution curves. Cytotoxicity of the sample is determined simultaneously with another test strain containing the same luciferase operon controlled by the constitutive promoter. This bacterium produces constant bioluminescence and any decrease of the bioluminescence production is used as a marker for cytotoxicity. As a miniaturized microtitre plate assay the Vitotox test requires a very small quantity of the sample material. The samples used in the workshop were diluted 1 : 10 or 1 : 100 before testing. Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity data were collected at dilutions of 1 : 10-1 : 2000. When the samples of the EILATox-Oregon Workshop were tested using the Vitotox test, four coded chemicals out of 17 were determined to be genotoxic. Seven chemicals and one environmental sample were found to be cytotoxic. Three chemical samples were found to be both geno- and cytotoxic.     

Evaluation of in vivo cytogenetic toxicity of europium hydroxide nanorods (EHNs) in male and female Swiss albino mice

Our group already demonstrated that europium hydroxide nanorods (EHNs) show none or mild toxicity in C57BL/6 mice even at high dose and exhibited excellent pro-angiogenic activity towards in vitro and in vivo models. In the present study, we evaluated the in vivo cytogenetic toxicity of intraperitoneally administered EHNs (12.5–250?mg/kg/b.w.) in male and female Swiss albino mice by analyzing chromosomal aberrations (CAs), mitotic index (MI), micronucleus (MN) from bone marrow and peripheral blood. Furthermore, we performed the cytogenetic toxicity study of EHNs towards Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, in order to compare with the in vivo results. The results of CA assay of mice treated with EHNs (12.5–125?mg/kg/b.w.) showed no significant change in the formation of aberrant metaphases compared to the control group. Also, there was no significant difference in the number of dividing cells between the control group and EHNs-treated groups observed by MI study, suggesting the non-cytotoxicity of EHNs. Additionally, FACS study revealed that EHNs do not arrest cells at any phase of cell cycle in the mouse model. Furthermore, MN test of both bone marrow and peripheral blood showed no significant differences in the induction of MNs when compared with the control group. In vitro results from CHO cells also support our in vivo observations. Considering the role of angiogenesis by EHNs and the absence of its genotoxicity in mouse model, we strongly believe the future application of EHNs in treating various diseases, where angiogenesis plays an important role such as cardiovascular diseases, ischemic diseases and wound healing.     

Synthesis,characterization and biological activity of some unsymmetrical Schiff base transition metal complexes

In this study, several unsymmetrical Schiff bases and their cobalt and manganese complexes have been synthesized and characterized. The unsymmetrical Schiff bases were prepared from reaction of o-phenylendiamine derivatives with 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone and then the product was reacted with the following aldehydes: salicyaldehyde, 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde, 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde and 2-qinolinecarboxaldehyde to produce the desired tetradentate unsymmetrical Schiff base ligands H2SL, H2NL, HPYL and HQN, respectively. Reaction of these ligands with cobalt and manganese salts produced complexes of the general formula [M(SL)], [(NL)], [M(PYL)] and [M(QL)]. All the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The prepared complexes were examined for their anti-bacterial activity using gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. The following complexes showed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus: MnSL1, MnSL2 and MnSL3. The genotoxic activity of four complexes, which are MnNL1, MnSL1, CoNL1 and CoSL1, were examined using 8-hydroxy-2-deoxy guanosine (8-OHdG) assay in cultured human blood lymphocytes. All examined complexes were found to be genotoxic at examined concentrations (0.1–100?µg/mL), but with variable magnitudes (p?<?0.05). The levels of 8-OHdG induced by MnNL1 and MnSL1 were significantly higher than that induced by CoNL1 and CoSL1 ones. In general, the order of mutagenicity of the compounds is MnSL1?>?MnNL1?>?CoSL1?>?CoNL1. In conclusion, some of the prepared complexes showed some biological activities that might be of interest for future research.     

Evaluation of genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of boron by the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) on Drosophila

Objective: In this study, different concentrations of boron have been evaluated for genotoxic and antigenotoxic properties by using the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) on Drosophila melanogaster. Study Design: The treatment concentrations were chosen to a pretest. Third-instar larvae trans-heterozygous for two genetic markers, multiple wing hair (mwh) and flare (flr3), were treated at different concentrations (0.1, 5, 10, 20, and 40?mg/mL) of boron. In addition to investigating antigenotoxic effects, the same boron concentrations were co-administered with 0.1?mM Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS). Distilled water was used as a negative control; 0.1?mM of EMS was used as a positive control. For the chronic feeding study, small plastic vials were prepared with 1.5?g of dry Drosophila Instant Medium and 5?mL of the respective test solution. Hundreds of trans-heterozygous larvae were embedded into this medium. Feeding ended with pupation of the surviving larvae. After metamorphosis, all surviving flies were collected and stored in a 70% ethanol solution. Preparation and microscopic analyses of wing were made after the treatment. Then the observed mutations were classified according to size and type of mutation per wing. Results: Results indicated that there is no significant genotoxic effect with all of the boron concentrations. In addition, the antigenotoxic activities of boron against EMS were tested. Results indicated that all boron concentrations (0.1, 5, 10, 20 and 40?mg/mL) were able to abolish the genotoxic effects induced by the EMS. Conclusion: It is suggested that the observed effects can be linked to the antioxidant properties of boron. Moreover, these in vivo results will contribute to the antigenotoxicity database of boron.     

Genotoxicity evaluation for single‐walled carbon nanotubes in a battery of in vitro and in vivo assays

The genotoxicity of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was determined using a battery of genotoxicity assays, comprising a bacterial reverse mutation test, an in vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration test and a mammalian erythrocytes micronucleus test. SWCNTs had no mutagenicity in S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535 or TA1537, or in E. coli WP2uvrA, in the absence or presence of metabolic activation. SWCNTs did not increase the number of structural or numerical chromosomal aberrations after short‐term or continuous exposure. In the micronucleus test using CD‐1 mice, SWCNTs did not affect the proportion of immature erythrocytes, the total proportion of erythrocytes or the number of micronuclei in immature erythrocytes. SWCNTs appear not to pose a genotoxic risk. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.