Paraquat-induced DNA damage in mammalian cells.

Abstract We have examined the possibility that paraquat (PQ) may exert its toxicity by inducing DNA damage. Mouse lymphoblasts in culture exhibited inhibition of colony forming ability and DNA single strand breaks following a 2 hour exposure to PQ. These phenomenon are dose dependent and increase when a rat liver S9 fraction is included in the incubation mixture. The presence of superoxide dismutase and catalase did not prevent the effects of PQ. Our data indicate that DNA should be considered as a possibile macromolecular target for the lethal effects of paraquat.