Deciphering the genotoxic and cytotoxic properties of teicoplanin: a combined laboratory and computational investigation

In this study, the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of the teicoplanin antibiotic were first investigated using the Vega Hub and Toxtree software through <i>in silico</i> prediction. The cytotoxic and genotoxic effects were evaluated using <i>in vitro</i> assays, including the mitotic index (MI), micronucleus (MN), nuclear division index (NDI), and Comet Assay (CA) in human lymphocytes. In the <i>in vitro</i> studies, both 24-hour and 48-hour exposures were conducted for MI, and teicoplanin significantly decreased MI compared to the control at all concentrations. In addition, a significant increase was detected in the MN frequency compared to the negative control at all concentrations. In the Comet assay, tail length significantly increased compared to the control at all concentrations except for 5.6 µg/mL, while tail moment and comet tail intensity significantly increased at all concentrations compared to the control. In conclusion, within the concentration range used in this study, teicoplanin was found to have cytotoxic and genotoxic effects.