The In Vitro Genotoxic Activity Of Albendazole And Praziquantel, Singly And In Combination On Human Blood Lymphocytes

Abstract

Two anthelmintic drugs; Albendazole (ABZ) and Praziquantel (PZQ), applied individually or in combination, were tested at varying concentrations (5,10,20,40 and 100 ug/ml) for their ability to induce sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) and to inhibit the cell proliferation and mitotic indices (CPI and MI, respectively) in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The data demonstrated that treatment of cells with ABZ and PZQ simultaneously induced slightly higher, but not significant (P>0.05), SCE incidence than did constituent agent alone. Similarly, the combined treatment did not cause significant reductions in CPI and MI values. Furthermore, the two drugs can be considered as weak mutagens regardless of their mode of administration. However, it is suggested to undertake further experimentations, both in vitro and in vivo using various cellular systems and genetic parameters, to determine the potential risks of these drugs before their widespread release in the human market.