Genotoxic Potential of Fluoxymesterone in Cultured Human Lymphocytes

Fluoxymesterone, a synthetic androgenic anabolic steroid is used to treat breast cancer. Androgenic steroidshave been reported to induce different types of cancer. In the present study we have tested the genotoxicpotential of fluoxymesterone in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study was performed in theabsence as well as presence of metabolic activation with and without NADP, to see the effect offluoxymesterone on chromosomal aberrations (CAs), mitotic index (MI), sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs)and replication index (RI). Fluoxymesterone neither induced CAs and SCEs nor affected MI and RI,significantly in the absence as well as in the presence of metabolic activation (S9 mix) without NADP.However, in the presence of metabolic activation with NADP it was found to be genotoxic at 30 and 40 ìM.