Cytogenetic effects in children treated with methylphenidate

El-Zein, Randa A.; Abdel-Rahman, Sherif Z.; Hay, Matthew J.; Lopez, Mirtha S.; Bondy, Melissa L.; Morris, Debra L.; Legator, Marvin S.

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2005.01.003

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Volume 230, Issue 2 , Pages 284-291, 18 December 2005

Cytogenetic effects in children treated with methylphenidate

Randa A. El-Zein
- Department of Epidemiology, Box 189, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Sherif Z. Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2.102 Ewing Hall, Galveston, TX 77555-1110, USA
Matthew J. Hay
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2.102 Ewing Hall, Galveston, TX 77555-1110, USA
Mirtha S. Lopez
- Department of Epidemiology, Box 189, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Melissa L. Bondy
- Department of Epidemiology, Box 189, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Debra L. Morris
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2.102 Ewing Hall, Galveston, TX 77555-1110, USA
Marvin S. Legator
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 2.102 Ewing Hall, Galveston, TX 77555-1110, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 409 772 1803; fax: +1 409 772 9108.

Received 22 November 2004; received in revised form 6 January 2005; accepted 10 January 2005.

Abstract

In recent years there has been a surge in methylphenidate (Ritalin) use for treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. However, there is a paucity of information on whether this drug poses any potential health risks, such as mutagenicity or carcinogenicity, for humans. To address this issue, we investigated whether this central nervous system stimulant produces cytogenetic abnormalities in pediatric patients at therapeutic levels. In a population composed of twelve children treated with therapeutic doses of methylphenidate, we analyzed three cytogenetic endpoints in peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained before and three months after initiation of treatment with this drug. In all participants, treatment induced a significant 3, 4.3 and 2.4-fold increase in chromosome aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei frequencies, respectively (P=0.000 in all cases). These findings warrant further investigations of the possible health effects of methylphenidate in humans, especially in view of the well-documented relationship between elevated frequencies of chromosome aberrations and increased cancer risk.

Keywords: Methylphenidate, Chromosomal aberrations, Genotoxicity, Children, ADHD