Perinatal exposure of patas monkeys to antiretroviral nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors induces genotoxicity persistent for up to 3 years of age.

BACKGROUND Erythrocebus patas (patas) monkeys were used to model antiretroviral (ARV) drug in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected pregnant women. METHODS Pregnant patas dams were given human-equivalent doses of ARVs daily during 50% of gestation. Mesenchymal cells, cultured from bone marrow of patas offspring obtained at birth and at 1 and 3 years of age, were examined for genotoxicity, including centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes. RESULTS Compared with controls, statistically significant increases (P < .05) in centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes were found in mesenchymal cells from most groups of offspring at the 3 time points. CONCLUSIONS Transplacental nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor exposures induced fetal genotoxicity that was persistent for 3 years.