Effect of β-carotene on clastogenic effects of mitomycin C, methyl methanesulphonate and bleomycin in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Abstract

The effect of β-carotene on the frequencies of micronuclei (MN) induced in cytochalasin blocked binudeated Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) by a bifunctional alkylating agent mitomycin C (MMC), a monofunctional alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) and a radio-mimetic agent bleomycin (BLEO) was investigated. Four different modes of application of the combination of dastogens and β-carotene were examined (pre-treatment, simultaneous treatment, pre-+ simultaneous treatment and post-treatment). The results obtained showed no effect of β-carotene on the frequencies of MN induced by MMS, a slight but not statistically significant reduction of MMC-induced MN only when β-carotene was used in low concentrations (0.25 and 0.5 μM) and a potentiation of the clastogenicity of bleomycin by β-carotene in three of the treatment regimes utilized, post-treatment being ineffective. On the basis of these results it can be concluded that the effect of β-carotene on clastogenesis induced by chemicals depends on the type and mechanism of action of the clastogen used as well as the treatment protocol employed.