The clastogenic effect of pyrimethamine (Daraprim) on human chromosomes in lymphocyte cultures
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Chromosome Preparation From Cultured Cells
Published on: January 28, 2014
1Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Medical Genetics Branch of Internal Medicine Department, Turkey.
Abstract:
In this study the clastogenic effect of pyrimethamine (Daraprim), a folic acid antagonist used for the treatment of toxoplasmosis and malaria on human chromosomes, was investigated. Pyrimethamine was added to in vitro lymphocyte cultures at six different concentrations: 0.05 (normal therapeutic dose), 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/ml. No proliferation was observed in any of the cultures containing 1.6 mg/ml pyrimethamine. The results of the cytogenetic evaluations show that the frequency of breaks and gaps increase significantly in dose-dependent manner. Thus, pyrimethamine has a clastogenic effect on human chromosomes.
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