Anabolic androgenic steroids induce micronuclei in buccal mucosa cells of bodybuilders

Abstract

Objective:To evaluate genotoxicity of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in male bodybuilders by a micronucleus assay in buccal mucosa cells.Methods:11 male bodybuilders volunteered to participate in this study and two groups were formed: group 1 (n = 6), without AAS consumption and group 2 (n = 5), with AAS consumption. A sample of buccal epithelium was taken from each participant once a week for 6 weeks. Samples were fixed, stained and analysed by a light microscope, and 2000 cells were counted from each slide. Results are expressed as micronucleated cells (MNC) per 1000 cells and were analysed by the Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon’s test.Results:A marked increased in MNC was seen in bodybuilders with AAS consumption compared with those without AAS consumption (mean (SD) 4.1 (2.4) MNC/1000 cells vs 0.4 (0.4) MNC/1000 cells, respectively; p<0.004). Intragroup comparisons showed no differences in the MNC frequencies during the sampling time in group 1, whereas the MNC frequency in group 2 varied significantly, reaching the highest MNC frequencies in the third and fourth week of sampling (5.9 (2.4) MNC/1000 cells; 5.8 (1.8) MNC/1000 cells, respectively); frequency in the first sampled week was 1.1 (0.1) MNC/1000 cells. Significant differences in all sampled weeks were found between the two groups.Conclusion:AAS consumption increased the frequency of MNC from buccal mucosa in bodybuilders.

Increased micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities in buccal mucosa and oxidative damage in saliva from patients with chronic and aggressive periodontal diseases

“…Oxidative stress can result in DNA damage, including the oxidation of nucleosides, which could cause DNA strand breaks ; this type of damage could have teratogenic or carcinogenic consequences . One method for determining DNA damage is the micronuclei (MN) assay .…”

“…The evaluation of MN detects both clastogenic and aneugenic events . The presence of MN is an indicator of the effect of mutagenic or genotoxic agents, especially micronucleogenic compounds . The MN can be easily assessed in exfoliated epithelial cells such as human oral mucosa cells .…”

“…The presence of MN is an indicator of the effect of mutagenic or genotoxic agents, especially micronucleogenic compounds . The MN can be easily assessed in exfoliated epithelial cells such as human oral mucosa cells . The MN and nuclear abnormalities (NAs) observed in exfoliated cells of the oral mucosa reflect chromosomal aberrations that are formed in the proliferating basal layer of the epithelium and subsequently migrate to the surface of the epithelium .…”

“…The buccal exfoliated epithelial cells constitute biomarkers of genotoxicity, allowing the use of a simple diagnostic assay and the response of target tissue to the action of carcinogens to avoid the need for cell culture . Therefore, the buccal MN cytome assay is a minimally invasive, useful in vivo method for monitoring genetic damage in human subjects .…”

Nandrolone androgenic hormone presents genotoxic effects in different cells of mice

“…Estrogens are also sex steroid hormones and, in general, do not induce gene mutation in classical bacterial and mammalian mutation assays (Roy and Liehr, ). However, at the chromosomal level of mutation, some studies have shown positive results (Banduhn and Obe, ; Wheeler et al , ; Eckert and Stopper, ; Schuler et al , ; Fischer et al , ; Torres‐Bugarín et al , ). Elevated levels of estrogens also are known to produce adverse effects, such as embryotoxicity, teratogenicity and carcinogenicity (IARC, ; Hertz, ; Marselos and Tomatis, ).…”