Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) test in river buffalo cells treated with Furocoumarins

Cytogenetic test can be very useful to detect chromosome (genome) fragility in both animal and human cells. Furocoumarin derivatives constitute a class of compounds widely investigated for the development of photo-chemotherapeutic drugs and effective in treating many diseases. The interest inside this research field originated from the effectiveness of PUVA therapy, realized by oral or topical administration of a linear furocoumarin (psoralen) followed by irradiation with UVA light, for the treatment of psoriasis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Furocoumarins are also present in Psoralea plants elected to be also used as alternative feed for animals considering that it's a perennial leguminous and, more important, it's green during the summer time. In the present study we report the preliminary results obtained using the SCE-test in river buffalo cells exposed in vitro to furocoumarin extracts from a Sardinian population of Posoralea morisana (L.) Stirton (Punta Giglio,). Peripheral blood samples from five young river buffaloes (2 males and 3 females) were incubated at 38 °C for 72 h in presence of different quantities of furocoumarin extracts: 0 (control), 50, 100, 200 and 400 ?g/ml. Thirty cells for each cell culture (and furocoumarin dose) were analyzed. Although the cell growth appeared normal in both treated and untreated (control) cells, a significant (P<0.01) higher number of SCEs observed in treated cells, compared to those achieved in the control. On the basis of these results, cells from five river buffalo cows were treated with 0 (control), 100 and 200 ?g/ml of furocoumarins for only 3 h after 24 h of incubation, in presence and absence of S9. No statistical differences were found between treated and untreated cells with furocoumarins both in presence and absence of S9.