Susceptibility to DNA damage induced by antibiotics in lymphocytes from malnourished children

Infectious disease and malnutrition in children are public health problems in developing countries. Malnutrition is associated with higher levels of DNA damage, and this increased damage could be due to different factors, including the possibility that cells from malnourished children could be more susceptible to environmental damage. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the susceptibility of lymphocytes from malnourished children to DNA damage induced by antibiotics by using the comet assay. The same group of malnourished infected children were studied before and after a treatment period, and compared to a group of well-nourished infected children. Results showed that before and after drug treatment, tail length migration was two times greater in malnourished than in well-nourished children. The proportion of cells with high damage was also increased in malnourished children. Additionally in well-nourished and malnourished children, a cell subpopulation (non-damaged cells) more resistant to DNA damage induced by antibiotics was observed; this was more prevalent in the well-nourished children. Meanwhile, in malnourished children, a cell population seems to be more susceptible and reaches higher levels of DNA damage. This might help explain the impaired immune response observed in malnourished children. The increased DNA migration and the increased proportion of cells with higher levels of damage seem to indicate that malnourished children are more susceptible to DNA damage induced by drugs. (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.