GENETIC TOXICOLOGY OF 4 COMMONLY USED BENZODIAZEPINES - A REVIEW

Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs which have been extensively used for their activities as an anti-anxiety, sedative, muscle relaxant and anti-convulsant. Benzodiazepines at present are the most commonly pre scribed drugs. Some of these drugs are teratogenic and also carcinogen ic in experimental animals. The wide human exposure to this group of d rugs throughout the world is of great concern for human health. In the present review, we have attempted to evaluate and update the mutageni c and genotoxic effects of four of the most commonly used benzodiazepi nes, i.e., chlordiazepoxide (CDZ), diazepam (DZ), nitrazepam (NZ) and oxazepam (OZ) based on available literature.