Patrícia Danielle Lima de Lima , Elizabeth Sumi Yamada, Edmar Tavares da Costa , Claudia do O. Pessoa, Silvia Helena Barem Rabenhorst , Marcelo de Oliveira Bahia, Plínio Cerqueira Cardoso, Raquel Alves Santos, Marilia de Arruda Cardoso Smith, Rommel Rodríguez Burbano
Published December 30, 2005 
Genet. Mol. Res. 4 (4): 822-831 (2005)

About the Authors 
Patrícia Danielle Lima de Lima , Elizabeth Sumi Yamada, Edmar Tavares da Costa , Claudia do O. Pessoa, Silvia Helena Barem Rabenhorst , Marcelo de Oliveira Bahia, Plínio Cerqueira Cardoso, Raquel Alves Santos, Marilia de Arruda Cardoso Smith, Rommel Rodríguez Burbano

Corresponding author 
R.R. Burbano 
Email: rommel@ufpa.br

ABSTRACT

Rotenone is a heterocyclic compound widely used as an insecticide, acaricide and piscicide. Its toxicity is mainly caused by the inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory processes and ATP production, resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species can interact with DNA, RNA and proteins, leading to cell damage, followed by death. We used the Comet assay, and we analyzed chromosome aberrations, in order to evaluate the genotoxic and clastogenic effects of rotenone on the different phases of the cell cycle. Cultured human lymphocytes were treated with 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 µg/mL rotenone during the G1, G1/S, S (pulses of 1 and 6 h), and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Rotenone induced DNA damage and was clastogenic, but the clastogenicity was detected only with treatments conducted during the G1/S and S phases of the cell cycle. Rotenone also induced endoreduplication and polyploidy in treatments made during G1, while it significantly reduced the mitotic index in all phases of the cell cycle.

Key words: Rotenone, Chromosome aberration, Comet assay.