Malachite Green: A Toxicological Review

Abstract

Malachite green, an N-methylated diaminotriphenylmethane dye, is used primarily as a therapeutic agent in aquaculture. In solution, the dye exists as a mixture of the cation (chromatic malachite green) and its carbinol base, with the ratio depending on the pH of the solution; the dye also can undergo chemical and metabolic reduction to a leuco derivative. Analysis offish tissue after exposure to malachite green indicates the presence of both chromatic and leuco forms, with the latter having a much longer tissue half-life. Malachite green intercalates with DNA, with a preference for A:T-rich regions, and the leuco derivative bears a structural resemblance to carcinogenic aromatic amines that can form covalent DNA adducts. Malachite green is mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 in the presence of an exogenous metabolizing system. In mammalian cells, it shows marked cytotoxicity and the ability to induce cell transformation and lipid peroxidation. Results from carcinogenicity bioassays with malachite green have been equivocal; however, it appears to act as a tumor promoter, perhaps because of its ability to induce the formation of reactive oxygen species. These characteristics, plus its close structural similarity to carcinogenic triphenylmethane dyes (e.g., gentian violet) suggest that additional data are required to determine if human exposure to malachite green results in adverse health effects.