Analysis of sister-chromatid exchanges and micronuclei in cultured human lymphocytes treated with insulin.

Insulin is an anabolic hormone that may facilitate development of malignant diseases in various susceptible tissues due to stimulation of mitotic divisions. In this work, an evaluation of mitogenic and genotoxic effects of human recombinant insulin has been performed in cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Genotoxic effects were studied by the following test systems: (1) in vitro SCE test, and (2) cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay. The obtained results indicate that insulin stimulates mitotic division at an optimal concentration of 10(-8) M. On the other hand, insulin has not exhibited genotoxic properties under experimental conditions in this investigation.