Effect of cyclosporin A and tacrolimus on sister chromatid exchange frequency in renal transplant patients

Long-term use of Cyclosporin A (CsA) and Tacrolimus is known to yield serious untoward side effects including nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and malignant tumor formation. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) is used to assess the genotoxic potential of various agents. A total of 37 postrenal transplant patients receiving either CsA (n = 20) or Tacrolimus (n = 17) were included in this study. The genotoxic effects of CsA and Tacrolimus were assessed by determination of SCE frequency. In patients receiving CsA, SCE frequency was increased significantly compared to that in the control group (p = 0.001), whereas Tacrolimus did not yield such a significant change (p = 0.801). SCE frequency was not correlated with drug dosage (p > 0.05). Our results indicate that the use of CsA, but not Tacrolimus 506, is associated with an increased genotoxic effect in postrenal transplant patients.