Mutagenic potential of anti-herpes agents

Confirmation of the chromosome damaging effects of lamivudine in in vitro human peripheral blood lymphocytes

The aim of this study was to investigate genotoxic effects of lamivudine (an analogue of cytidine) using in vitro sister chromatid exchange (SCE), chromosome aberration (CA), and micronucleus (MN) tests in human peripheral lymphocytes. The cells were treated with 75, 100, 125, and 150 microg/ml concentrations of lamivudine (roughly 30-60 times higher than plasma levels achieved in patients receiving this drug) for two (24- and 48-hr) treatment periods. Lamivudine induced SCEs at the highest concentration (150 microg/ml) in the 24-hr treatment, and at 125 and 150 microg/ml in the 48-hr treatment, when compared to the solvent control. During both treatment periods, structural chromosome aberrations were significantly increased at 100, 125, and 150 microg/ml lamivudine concentrations. However, the increases of SCEs (22%) and CAs (50%) were weak. In addition, lamivudine reduced both the proliferation index (PI) and the mitotic index (MI) significantly at all concentrations for the two treatment periods. The MI was reduced by lamivudine in a dose-dependent manner during both the 24- and 48-hr treatment periods. In contrast, the PI was reduced by lamivudine only during the 48-hr treatment period. A weak but significant increase in MN formation was observed following lamivudine treatment at 100, 125, and 150 microg/ml for 48 hr, but no significant increase in micronuclei were observed following 24-hr treatment. In conclusion, lamivudine has a weak genotoxic effect at elevated doses on human peripheral lymphocytes.

Genetic risks of antiviral nucleoside analogues--a survey

The available informations on the genotoxic effects in experimental systems of the antiherpesvirus nucleosides aciclovir, penciclovir, ganciclovir, brivudine and cidofovir as well as of the antiretrovirals zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine, zalcitabine (ddC), didanosine and stavudine are reviewed. Furthermore, data on carcinogenic activity of these drugs in laboratory rodents are compiled. Most nucleoside analogue antivirals induce chromosomal aberrations but are inactive in gene mutation assays. Carcinogenicity findings in mice and rats are variable but clearly positive for AZT and ddC. The possible mechanisms by which these agents may cause damage in the genetic information are still largely hypothetical, and experimental findings do not permit relevant extrapolations to the situation in man. There is no conclusive evidence that any of the drugs caused tumours in humans. The use of nucleoside analogues in antiviral therapy remains a pragmatic option that seems justified by risk/benefit assessment.

Effect of various concentrations of acyclovir on cell survival and micronuclei induction on cultured HeLa cells

The HeLa cells were treated with 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 microM acyclovir (ACV) for 8 h duration and the growth kinetics, cell survival and micronuclei induction were determined. Treatment of HeLa cells with various concentrations of ACV resulted in a concentration-dependent decline in growth kinetics, cell proliferation indices and cell survival. ACV, 100 microM, completely inhibited cell division, where no appreciable changes in cell number were observed from 1 to 5 days post-treatment. This is reflected in cell survival, where the surviving fraction of cells was reduced to 1/2 at 100 microM ACV. Conversely, the frequency of micronuclei showed a concentration-dependent elevation at 20, 30 and 40 h post-treatment. ACV not only induced one micronuclei-bearing binucleate cell but also binucleate cells bearing two and multiple micronuclei in a concentration-dependent manner. The micronuclei frequency increased with time up to 30 h post-treatment and declined thereafter. The relationship between micronuclei induction and cell survival was determined by plotting the former on Y- and the latter on X-axes, respectively. The surviving fraction of cells declined with the elevation in micronuclei frequency and a best fit was observed for linear quadratic formalism.

Cytogenetic genotoxicity of antiherpes virostatics in Chinese hamster V79-E cells. I. Purine nucleoside analogues

The antiherpes virostatics acyclovir (ACV), valaciclovir (VACV), penciclovir (PCV), famciclovir (FCV) and ganciclovir (GCV), which belong to the group of purine acyclic nucleoside analogues, were tested for clastogenic and sister chromatid exchange (SCE)-inducing activity in Chinese hamster V79-E cells upon chronic application with and without a recovery period. ACV induced borderline effects in both cytogenetic assays, a dose-dependent reduction of the mitotic index and an increasing cell cycle delay. With VACV and PCV only a decrease of the mitotic index and an increase of cell cycle delay were observed. FCV was negative with respect to the four parameters studied, presumably due to the incapacity of the target cells of metabolizing FCV to PCV. GCV was a very potent genotoxin in both assays. It induced a statistically significant SCE response even in the range of the cytomegalovirus IC50 of < 10 microM. By variation of the experimental protocol it was shown that SCEs are induced in the second cell cycle following exposure to GCV but not in the first one. It is assumed that the drugs under study are metabolized to their respective triphosphates and then inhibit DNA replication as detected by decreasing mitotic index and increasing cell cycle delay. In the case of GCV it is suggested that GCV-TP is incorporated into the target cell DNA and that chromosomal aberrations and SCEs are secondary lesions due to repair processes at the substituted template.

Detection of genotoxic activity in native hospital waste water by the umuC test

The genotoxic potential of the waste water of a hospital was evaluated by the umuC test. Within 2 years over 800 native waste water samples were analysed. Genotoxic activity was found in 13% of the samples. The highest genotoxic activity occurred in the morning hours, but genotoxic samples were detected also during the day and at night. 96% of the genotoxic waste water samples revealed a genotoxic potential without growth inhibition of test bacteria monitored as OD600, in the same way as antineoplastic drugs like mitomycin C or cisplatin. 4% of the genotoxic waste water samples showed combined cytotoxic and genotoxic activities as seen in control experiments using glutaraldehyde containing disinfectants and certain antibiotics.

Incorporation into nucleic acids of the antiherpes guanosine analog buciclovir, and effects on DNA and protein synthesis

Using cells expressing herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase, we investigated the metabolism of the acyclic antiherpes guanosine analog buciclovir, in relation to the effects of the drug on viral DNA and protein synthesis. In these cells the predominant metabolite of buciclovir was its triphosphate, as in the HSV-1 infected Vero cells investigated in parallel. Further metabolism of buciclovir led to incorporation into RNA and DNA. Buciclovir inhibited DNA synthesis, not RNA synthesis, and prevented an increase in the size of newly synthesized DNA. To study the relative effects of BCV on cellular and viral DNA synthesis, human TK-cells transformed to a TK+ phenotype with HSV-2 DNA, were infected with HSV-1. In these HSV-1 infected cells buciclovir-triphosphate caused a preferential inhibition of viral DNA synthesis. Despite incorporation of buciclovir into RNA, and the presence of buciclovir-triphosphate from the time of infection onwards, no effect was observed on the synthesis of the beta proteins ICP-6 and ICP-8. Presumably as a consequence of inhibition of viral DNA synthesis, the synthesis of a beta gamma protein (gD) and a gamma protein (gC) were inhibited, and synthesis of the beta proteins (ICP-6 and ICP-8) was not shut-off. Glycosylation of gC that was still synthesized, was not inhibited. Thus, the biological effects of buciclovir can be explained by its inhibition of DNA synthesis.

Efficacy of 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (VaraU) against herpes simplex virus type 2 strains in cell cultures and against experimental herpes encephalitis in mice: comparison with acyclovir and foscarnet

The sensitivity of different herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) strains to inhibition by 5-vinyl-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil (VaraU) was evaluated in comparison to 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine (ACV; acyclovir) and trisodiumphosphonoformate (Na3PFA; foscarnet), using a plaque inhibition assay in primary rabbit testes (PRT) cells as well as in human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF) cell cultures. The order of decreasing activity found was ACV much greater than VaraU greater than Na3PFA in PRT cells and ACV greater than VaraU much greater than Na3PFA in HELF cells, with 50% inhibition doses (ID50) of 1.8, 8.8, and greater than 110 microM for the three drugs in HELF cells, respectively. After 72hr of drug treatment, inhibition of HELF cell proliferation by VaraU (ID50, greater than 1000 microM) was less than that by ACV and Na3PFA, resulting in high selectivity indexes of greater than 100 against HSV-2 for VaraU and ACV. Their in vivo efficacy was assessed in a mouse encephalitis model. Using a treatment schedule of three daily intraperitoneal (ip) doses over a period of 5 days, only the survival times of mice were considerably prolonged by VaraU (150 or 300 mg/kg per day; P less than 0.05 or P less than 0.001, respectively). In contrast, ACV treatment (150 mg/kg per day) led to a nearly complete prevention of encephalitis and death (P less than 0.001). Similar therapy results with VaraU application through the drinking water were obtained using only one-sixth of the high ip dose (approximately 50 mg/kg per day) but over a prolonged period of treatment. Under similar conditions no therapeutic effect of oral Na3PFA was observed.