Evaluation of the genetic toxicity of sofosbuvir and simeprevir with and without ribavirin in a human-derived liver cell line

Abstract

Direct-acting antivirals have revolutionized the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Sofosbuvir and simeprevir are prescribed worldwide. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding their genotoxicity. Therefore, the present study assessed the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of sofosbuvir and simeprevir, alone and combined with ribavirin. HepG2 cells were analyzed using the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay. Cells were treated for 24 h with sofosbuvir (0.011−1.511 mM), simeprevir (0.156−5.0 µM), and their combinations with ribavirin (0.250−4.0 mM). No significant differences were observed in the nuclear division cytotoxicity index, reflecting the absence of cytotoxic effects associated to sofosbuvir. However, the highest concentration of simeprevir showed a significant difference for the nuclear division cytotoxicity index. Moreover, significant results were observed for nuclear division cytotoxicity index in two combinations of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin and only in the highest combination of simeprevir plus ribavirin. Additionally, our results showed that sofosbuvir did not increase the frequency of chromosomal damage, but simeprevir significantly increased the frequency of micronuclei at the highest concentrations. The combination index demonstrated that both sofosbuvir and simeprevir produced antagonism to the genotoxic effects of ribavirin. In conclusion, our results showed that simeprevir, but not sofosbuvir, has genotoxic effects in HepG2 cells.