Md. Velazco et al., GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF KARWINSKIA HUMBOLDTIANA TOXIN-T-514 IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES, Anti-cancer drugs, 7(6), 1996, pp. 710-715
Toxicity by Karwinskia humboldtiana, a Rhamnaceae plant, has been asse
ssed in a number of studies. four dimmeric anthracenones, named T-496,
7-514, T-516 and 7-544 for their molecular weight, have been isolated
from this plant. T-514, in particular, has been shown to be toxic to
liver and lung as well as to tumoral cell lines, preferentially to tho
se from liver tumors. For this reason it has been suggested that the t
oxin could be used as an antineoplastic agent. The present study was p
erformed to characterize the biological activity of T-514 as a potenti
al cytostatic and genotoxic agent. Peripheral blood lymphocytes in cul
ture were used as a test system, where chromosomal aberrations and sis
ter chromatid exchanges were scored in order to evaluate genotoxicity,
and mitotic index and cell proliferation kinetics were used as parame
ters for cytostatic and cytotoxic ability. Genotoxicity to lymphocytes
was negative. However, proliferation was affected by the toxin, demon
strating a cytostatic activity independent of genotoxic damage.