Objective: To determine whether budesonide (Bud) and triamcinolone acetate (TA) cause DNA fractures in the nasal mucosa and septal cartilage cells through examinations using the comet assay technique.
Study design: Prospective, controlled experimental study.
Setting: University hospital.
Methods: Septal mucosal epithelial and cartilage tissue samples were taken from 9 patients. Cell cultures were prepared from these samples. Then, budesonide and triamcinolone acetate active ingredients at 2 different doses of 0.2 and 10 µM were separately applied to the cell cultures formed from both tissues of each patient, except the control cell culture, for 7 days in one group and 14 days in one group. After the applications, genotoxic damage was scored with the comet assay technique and the groups were compared.
Results: In both the budesonide and triamcinolone acetate groups, the comet scores at low and high doses, on the 7th and 14th days were found to be significantly higher in both cartilage and epithelial tissue than in the control group.
Conclusion: The study results showed that budesonide and triamcinolone acetate lead to a significantly high rate of genotoxic damage in both epithelial tissue and cartilage tissue.
Keywords: DNA damage; budesonide; comet assay; topical steroid; triamcinolone acetate.