engleski

Occupationally Pesticide-induced Genome Damages Evaluated by Chromosomal Aberration Analysis, Micronucleus Assay, and Comet Assay

The widespread use of pesticides and their potential genetical hazard suggests that the evaluation of their genotoxicity should be extended using the different assays available. In the present study we used two standard cytogenetic methods (chromosomal aberration analysis and micronucleus assay) and comet assay as relatively new powerful technique for the detection of DNA breaks and damage at alkali-sensitive sites. The population studied was composed of two groups: 10 workers occupationally exposed to a complex mixture pesticides (atrazine, alachlor, cyanazine, 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, malathion) during their production ; 20 individuals chosen from general population with no history of exposure to pesticides. The same blood sample of each subject was simultaneously used for all three cytogenetic techniques. For the chromosomal aberration analysis whole blood was cultivated 48 hours according to IAEA (1986), and for the micronucleus assay whole blood cultures were harvested after 72 hours (Fenech and Morley, 1985). The comet assay procedure was obtained by Singh et al. (1994). An increased percent of chromosome aberrations (up to 16%) as well as the presence of dicentric chromosomes and chromatid exchanges in exposed subjects regarding to control subjects were found. Also an increase in the total number and distribution of micronuclei in binuclear lymphocytes was observed. In the group of exposed subjects the number of micronuclei is increased (range from 19-45) compared to the control group (range from 2-7). In peripheral blood lymphocytes of the exposed subjects comet assay showed larger amount of DNA migrated, expressed by tail length and tail moment. These results suggest that long time occupational exposure to pesticides could be able of causing genome damages in somatic cells and therefore it may represent a potential hazard to human health.

chromosomal aberrations; micronucleus assay; comet assay; pesticides

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