CYTOTOXICITY AND DNA-DAMAGING POTENCY OF CHLORAMPHENICOL AND 6 METABOLITES - A NEW EVALUATION IN HUMAN-LYMPHOCYTES AND RAJI CELLS

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is an antibiotic which has been implicated in th e etiology of aplastic anemia in man. This product is also used in vet erinary medicine. The medical use of chloramphenicol has been limited to cases where the drug is indispensible but veterinary use may lead t o the presence of residues in the meat of treated animals and it is es sential to establish acceptable levels of intake of such residues in o rder to protect human health. CAP is metabolized into at least 6 metab olites: nitroso-CAP (NO-CAP), formed in the liver, 3 excretion product s: the glucuronide (CAP-G), the CAP base (NAPD), and an alcoholic deri vative, HAP. Dehydro-CAP (DH-CAP) and the dehydro-CAP base (NPAP) are formed by enterobacteria in the large bowel. The objective of the pres ent study was to investigate (1) the cytoxicity of CAP and its metabol ites and (2) their ability to induce DNA damage in human cells. This w ork was performed with human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and wi th a lymphoma cell line (Raji).