GENOTOXICITY OF 2 PHARMACOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT SELENIUM-COMPOUNDS (SELENOCYSTINE AND SELENOPURIDINE) IN CULTURED HUMAN BLOOD-LYMPHOCYTES

Studies were conducted in vitro with human peripheral blood lymphocyte s (72 h whole blood cultures) to determine the genotoxicity and cytoto xicity of organic selenium compounds. Selenopuridine and selenocystine at 1.05 x 10(-5) and 1.05 x 10(-4) M added for 48 h, significantly in creased the percentage of aberrant cells. In addition, a trend towards concentration-dependent increases in SCE was observed. These increase s were statistically significant at high doses of selenium. Cytokineti c analysis using cell proliferation and mitotic indices indicated that selenium treatment resulted in mitotic delay, while has no significan t effects on cell proliferation, under the conditions of our experimen ts. These findings are discussed in terms of inhibitory effects of hig h doses of organic forms of selenium on the growth of several biologic al systems.