Micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

In this study we evaluated the effect of immunosuppressive drug, cyclophosphamide, on lymphocytes from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), using the micronucleus test. Micronucleated peripheral blood lymphocytes were analyzed in cytochalasin B treated binucleated lymphocytes. There was significant increase in cells with micronuclei (P < 0.001) in SLE patients who had received cyclophosphamide (10.05 +/- 4.7) in comparison to the patients with SLE who had not received any medical treatment (6.24 +/- 2.42) and control normal subjects (5.48 +/- 2.24). The SLE patients who used cyclophosphamide showed a slightly higher frequency of micronucleated cells in the first 48 h after treatment. The present study emphasized the lack of correlation between age, sex and frequency of micronuclei.