The cytogenetic effect of the new asthma and allergy drug montelukast on albino mice: chromosomal studies

Abstract

Montelukast or Singulair has recently been introduced to treat asthma. Because it is apparently free of serious side-effects, the present work aimed to investigate its effects on chromosomes of bone marrow cells of mice. The percentage of structural chromosomal aberrations was highly elevated due to treatment with Montelukast. The aberrations
increased successively with increasing the time and the dose of the therapy. Numerical chromosomal aberrations were also increased, and interstitial deletions of certain bands were detected in G/T-banded karyotypes of the treated samples. Montelukast appears to have potential genotoxicity in the somatic cells of mice in vivo.