Objective: Hydatid disease occurs throughout the world and is treated with both surgery and medical administration of albendazole. Some adverse effects of albendazole are known. However, its genotoxic effect on humans has not been reported yet. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genotoxic effect of albendazole on human lymphocytes in vivo.
Methods: The study involved 14 children (eight males and six females) who had undergone operations for hepatic hydatid disease. The ages of the patients ranged from 6 to 13 years. Genotoxicity of albendazole was evaluated as the frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleated cells in the patient's lymphocytes. Prior to and after albendazole treatment, blood samples were obtained from these patients for SCE and micronucleus (MN) studies. SCE and MN frequencies of the patients were measured separately before and after albendazole treatment.
Results: All patient SCE values increased significantly after albendazole administration (p<0.001). Similarly, MN frequencies in all the patients increased significantly following albendazole treatment (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study revealed that both SCE and MN frequencies are higher after albendazole treatment. The results suggest that albendazole may be genotoxic to human lymphocytes in vivo.