Effects of anticoagulants upon sister-chromatid exchanges, cell-cycle kinetics, and mitotic index in human peripheral lymphocytes.

The effects of 3 blood anticoagulants, heparin, acid citrate dextrose (ACD), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were investigated using human peripheral lymphocytes. Three different endpoints were examined: sister-chromatid exchange (SCE), cell kinetics index (CKI), and mitotic index (MI). SCEs were significantly increased in cells treated with EDTA, while the CKI and MI were significantly decreased in cultures treated with either ACD or EDTA when compared to cultures treated with heparin. These results suggest that anticoagulants may produce undesired effects upon cultured cells and indicate that the type of anticoagulant should be considered carefully prior to commencing cytogenetic studies using human peripheral lymphocytes.