Using activated carbon nanoparticles to decrease the genotoxicity and teratogenicity of anticancer therapeutic agents.

One of the key obstacles against the success in cancer chemotherapy is the toxic and side effects of the chemotherapeutic agents. The avoidance of these toxic and side effects will greatly improve the therapeutic effects of anticancer drugs while decrease the pains of the patients. Here we show that activated carbon nanoparticles (ACNP), one of the mesoporous nanoparticles, can decrease the genotoxicity and teratogenicity of mitomycin C (MMC). To study the effects of ACNP on genotoxicity and teratogenicity of MMC, methods of PCE micronucleus test, Chinese hamster lung cell chromosome aberration experiment and rat teratogenicity were employed to observe the differences in genotoxicity and teratogenicity between ACNP-adsorbed MMC (ACNP-MMC) and free MMC. Results demonstrated that free MMC 0.16-5.0 microg/kg significantly increased the positive rate of PCE micronucleus test, the chromosome aberration rate and rat teratogenecity, but ACNP-MMC did not increased these heredity and reproduction toxicological indexes in a dose range of 0.625-10.0 microg/kg. From these results, it can be concluded that ACNP-MMC have significant effects to decrease the genotoxicity and teratogenicity effects of MMC. These results will have a considerable impact on the strategy of anticancer chemotherapy.