Cytologic effects of adriamycin on human peripheral lymphocytes.

Preliminary data show adriamycin (AM) induces chromosomal structural changes and division delay in human peripheral lymphocytes. Cells treated for one hour with 0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.10 mug/ml AM show chromatid lesions mainly breaks and deletions. Chromosome type lesions and chromatid exchanges were less frequent even in cells with the highest percentage of aberrations. Dicentric chromosomes were very rare and were scored only in cells treated with higher concentrations (0.10 mug/ml) and recovered 24 hour post-treatment. Based solely on cytologic evidence G1 and S phase cells appear to be more sensitive to adriamycin than G2 phase cells.