In Vitro Measurement of Genotoxicity of Antimicrobial Dextrin-Polyvinyl Alcohol-Iodine Complex

Iodine-based antimicrobial materials are widely considered for biomedical applications due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity; however, their potential genotoxicity requires systematic evaluation prior to clinical use. The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic potential of a dextrin-polyvinyl alcohol-iodine (D/PVA/I-1) complex in accordance with OECD guidelines. Genotoxicity was evaluated in vitro using two complementary assays: the mammalian cell micronucleus test (OECD TG 487) in L5178Y TK^+/- cells and the bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames test, OECD TG 471) using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA, both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation (S9). In the micronucleus assay, no statistically significant increase in micronucleus frequency was observed at concentrations ranging from 0.039 to 0.625 mg/mL compared with the negative control. In the Ames test, no increase in revertant colony numbers was detected in any tested bacterial strain at concentrations up to 1250 μg/plate. At higher concentrations, pronounced cytotoxic and bactericidal effects were observed without evidence of mutagenic activity. Overall, the results demonstrate that the D/PVA/I-1 complex does not exhibit genotoxic or mutagenic potential under the tested in vitro conditions, indicating a favorable genetic safety profile and supporting further preclinical evaluation for potential biomedical applications.