Studies on genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial and antifungal drugs

This review provides a compendium of retrievable results of genotoxicity and animal carcinogenicity studies performed of antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial and antifungal drugs of long-term or intermittent frequent use. Of the 48 drugs considered, 9 (18.75%) do not have retrievable data, whereas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mutagenesis 2012-07, Vol.27 (4), p.387-413
Main Authors: BRAMBILLA, Giovanni, MATTIOLI, Francesca, ROBBIANO, Luigi, MARTELLI, Antonietta
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents - toxicity
Antifungal Agents - toxicity
Antimalarials - toxicity
Antiviral Agents - toxicity
Biological and medical sciences
Carcinogens - toxicity
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - drug effects
DNA Damage - drug effects
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Mutagenesis. Repair
Mutagens - toxicity
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Summary:This review provides a compendium of retrievable results of genotoxicity and animal carcinogenicity studies performed of antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial and antifungal drugs of long-term or intermittent frequent use. Of the 48 drugs considered, 9 (18.75%) do not have retrievable data, whereas the other 39 (81.25%) have at least one genotoxicity or carcinogenicity tests result. Of these 39 drugs, 24 tested positive in at least one genotoxicity assay and 19 in at least one carcinogenicity assay; 14 of them gave a positive response in both at least one genotoxicity assay and at least one carcinogenicity assay. Concerning the predictivity of genetic toxicology findings for the results of long-term carcinogenesis assays, of 23 drugs with both genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data: 2 (8.7%) were neither genotoxic nor carcinogenic, 2 (8.7%) tested positive in at least one genotoxicity assay but were non-carcinogenic, 4 (17.4%) tested negative in genotoxicity assays but were carcinogenic, and 15 (65.2%) gave a positive response in at least one genotoxicity assay and in at least one carcinogenicity assay. Only 18 (37.5%) of the 48 drugs examined had all data required by present guidelines for testing of pharmaceuticals, but a fraction of them (49%) were developed and marketed prior to the present regulatory climate. In the absence of compelling indications, the prescription of the 19 drugs that are animal carcinogens should be avoided.
ISSN:0267-8357
1464-3804
DOI:10.1093/mutage/ger094