Combined action of isoniazid and para-aminosalicylic acid in vivo on human chromosomes in lymphocyte cultures.

Two antitubercular drugs, viz., isoniazid (INH) and para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS), in combination, were evaluated for their in vivo clastogenic effects of human lymphocyte chromosomes. Lymphocyte cultures from tuberculosis patients taking a therapeutic dose of INH and PAS for a period of not less than 3 months and from two sets of controls were used: (1) newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients who were not yet under therapy and (2) healthy individuals from the general population. Chromosome aberration frequency was very significantly increased in the patients exposed to combined INH and PAS therapy as compared with controls. The most frequently observed aberrations were chromatid breaks and gaps. Isoniazid, the major antituberculosis drug, has been reported not to be clastogenic by itself. However, we observed that the INH--PAS combination commonly used in therapy was clastogenic. From this observation it may be concluded that INH and PAS act synergistically in producing chromosomal aberrations.