engleski

Evaluation of DNA damage in subjects occupationally exposed to pesticides using single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay

The comet assay, also called the single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) is a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of DNA damage (strand breaks and alkali-labile sites) in individual cells. The assay is based on the embedding of cells in agarose, their lysis in alkaline buffer and finally subjection to an electric current. In the present study, alkaline SCGE was used to evaluate the extent of primary DNA damage and DNA repair in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 10 subjects employed in pesticide production in two different periods of exposure: after 6-months spent in the production and after 6 months long period of their absence from the pesticide exposure zone. The subjects are working in three different units of pesticide production (the unit of pesticide synthesis, the unit of emulsion concentrated production, and the unit of powder and liquid pesticide production) and they are simultaneously exposed to atrazine, alachlor, cyanazine, 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, malathion. The control group was composed of 10 persons chosen from general population with no history of occupational exposure to neither chemical nor physical agents. After the period of high pesticide exposure lymphocytes of the occupationally exposed subjects manifested increased tail length (ƒč = 50.13 „b 9.44 ƒÝm) and tail moment (ƒč = 60.85 „b 18.17) compared with the control group (tail length ƒč = 13.26 „b 1.47 ƒÝm ; tail moment ƒč = 10.50 „b 1.13). After the workers spent next 6 months out of the pesticide exposure zone both endpoints were still increased (tail length ƒč = 17.19 „b 0.44 ƒÝm ; tail moment ƒč = 13.79 „b 0.39) in comparison to the control but significantly decreased in comparison to results of the first sample analysis.

pesticides; comet assay; occupational exposure; genotoxicity

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