ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Anabolic androgenic steroids induce micronuclei in buccal mucosa cells of bodybuilders

O Torres-Bugarín¹, R Covarrubias-Bugarín², A L Zamora-Perez³, B M G Torres-Mendoza⁴, M García-Ulloa⁵, F G Martínez-Sandoval⁶

¹ Departamento de Investigación, Programa Internacional de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
² Maestría en Nutrición Clínica, Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
³ Laboratorio de Farmacogenómica y Biomedicina Molecular, Centro Intersciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Durango, Durango, México
⁴ Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara y Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
⁵ Departamento de Ciencias Acuícolas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, México
⁶ Dirección del Programa Internacional, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

O Torres-Bugarín, Departamento de Investigación, Programa Internacional de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. Av Patria 1201, Lomas del Valle 3 sección, Zapopan, Jalisco, México, C.P. 44100; luly73{at}hotmail.com

Objective: To evaluate genotoxicity of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in male bodybuilders by a micronucleus assay in buccal mucosa cells.

Methods: 11 male bodybuilders volunteered to participate in this study and two groups were formed: group 1 (n = 6), without AAS consumption and group 2 (n = 5), with AAS consumption. A sample of buccal epithelium was taken from each participant once a week for 6 weeks. Samples were fixed, stained and analysed by a light microscope, and 2000 cells were counted from each slide. Results are expressed as micronucleated cells (MNC) per 1000 cells and were analysed by the Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon’s test.

Results: A marked increased in MNC was seen in bodybuilders with AAS consumption compared with those without AAS consumption (mean (SD) 4.1 (2.4) MNC/1000 cells vs 0.4 (0.4) MNC/1000 cells, respectively; p<0.004). Intragroup comparisons showed no differences in the MNC frequencies during the sampling time in group 1, whereas the MNC frequency in group 2 varied significantly, reaching the highest MNC frequencies in the third and fourth week of sampling (5.9 (2.4) MNC/1000 cells; 5.8 (1.8) MNC/1000 cells, respectively); frequency in the first sampled week was 1.1 (0.1) MNC/1000 cells. Significant differences in all sampled weeks were found between the two groups.

Conclusion: AAS consumption increased the frequency of MNC from buccal mucosa in bodybuilders.

Abbreviations: AAS, anabolic androgenic steroids; MN, micronucleus; MNC, micronucleated cells

Keywords: micronuclei; buccal mucosa cells; bodybuilders; genotoxicity; anabolic androgenic steroids

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