COMPARATIVE MUTAGENIC AND GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF 3 ANTIMALARIAL-DRUGS, CHLOROQUINE, PRIMAQUINE AND AMODIAQUINE

Comparative mutagenic and genotoxic effects of three antimalarial drug s, chloroquine, primaquine and amodiaquine, were assessed in the Ames mutagenicity assay (in strains TA97a, TA100, TA102 and TA104) and in v ivo sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosome aberration (CA) ass ays in bone marrow cells of mice. These are the most commonly used ant imalarial drugs available at present throughout the world. The results of the bacterial mutagenicity assays showed a very weak mutagenic eff ect of all three drugs in Salmonella strains TA97a and TA100 both with and without S9 mix and in TA104 only with S9 mix. The results of the in vivo SCE and CA assays indicate that these three drugs are genotoxi c in bone marrow cells of mice.