In vitro genotoxicity assessment of Hygetropin and testosterone propionate in human lymphocytes

Introduction: This study evaluated the in vitro genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of Hygetropin (HYG) and testosterone propionate (TP) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay and explored the potential modulatory effects of ascorbic acid (ASC) and glucose (GLU). Materials and methods: Peripheral blood cultures from two healthy male donors were exposed for 48 h to nominal concentrations of HYG (1.25–10.00 µg/mL) or TP (12.50–100.00 µg/mL), alone or in combination with matched nominal concentrations of ASC or GLU. Aggregate micronucleus (MN) frequencies and retained descriptive nuclear division index (NDI) summary values were examined. The numbers of independent cultures and slides and the original donor-specific scoring records could not be verified from the retained documentation. Analyses were descriptive only ( n = 2 donors). Results: The vehicle control showed an MN frequency of 0.15%. HYG-treated groups showed MN frequencies of 0.40–0.60%, whereas TP-treated groups ranged from 0.85% to 2.35%, with the highest value observed at 100 µg/mL. In HYG + ASC groups, MN frequency ranged from 0.50% to 0.95%, while HYG + GLU groups ranged from 0.25% to 0.45%. TP + ASC groups showed MN frequencies of 1.70–3.25%, whereas TP + GLU groups showed lower observed frequencies of 0.55–1.00%. NDI values varied across doses and co-exposure conditions. Conclusions: The observed aggregate MN frequencies were higher in several TP conditions than in the corresponding HYG conditions. Patterns in the ASC and GLU combinations were variable and are hypothesis-generating. The small number of donors, lack of single-agent ASC/GLU and matched water vehicle controls, incomplete exposure preparation records, and unavailable donor- and culture-level records preclude causal, precision-based, or in vivo conclusions.