The genotoxic risk of underground coal miners from Turkey

PubMedID: 16337427A cytogenetic monitoring study was carried out on a group of workers from a bituminous coal mine in Zonguldak province of Turkey, to investigate the genotoxic risk of occupational exposure to coal mine dust. Cytogenetic analysis, namely sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and micronucleus (MN) tests were performed on a strictly selected group of 39 workers and compared to 34 controls matched for gender, age, and habit. Smoking and age were considered as modulating factors. Both SCE and CA frequencies in coal miners appeared significantly higher than in controls. Similarly, there was a significant increase in the frequency of total micronuclei in exposed group as compared to control group. The effect of smoking on the level of SCE and MN was significant in the control group. A positive correlation between the age and the level of SCE was also found in controls. The frequencies of both SCE and CA were significantly enhanced with the years of exposure. The results of this study demonstrated that occupational exposure to coal mine dust leads to a significant induction of cytogenetic damage in peripheral lymphocytes of workers engaged in underground coal mining. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.2003/7-47We are grateful to Osman Balamir, manager of the Armutçuk Coal Mining Institution, for his contribution to the study. The authors would like to thank health technicians of the Armutçuk Coal Mining Institution for collecting blood samples. This research was financially supported by the Research Fund of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University (Grant 2003/7-47)

Comparison of genotoxic effect between smokeless tobacco (Maras powder) users and cigarette smokers by the alkaline comet assay

Maras powder (MP) is a kind of smokeless tobacco used in the south-eastern region of Turkey and in several other countries of Middle and Far East. The present study was performed to assess the impacts of MP and cigarette smoking on the possible DNA damaging effect. Alkaline comet assay, which is a reliable and an important tool in human biomonitoring studies in the area of genetic toxicology, was used in peripheral lymphocytes of MP users, cigarette smokers, and non-smokers while their frequencies of total comet scores (TCS) were evaluated. The mean TCS (+/-SD) frequency in the peripheral lymphocytes was 14.4 (+/-10.04) for MP users and 8.26 (+/-5.38), 5.94 (+/-3.87) for cigarette smokers (P < 0.05) and non-smoking control subjects, respectively (P < 0.001). There was no significant effect of daily consumption of MP and the duration of MP usage on comet frequencies. In reply to a wrong belief among MP users ("the use of smokeless tobacco product is substantially less hazardous than cigarettes"), the present study shows that the oral use of smokeless tobacco represents a genotoxic hazard which is even higher than the DNA damage observed in cigarette smokers. Therefore, habitual use of MP should be taken into account and could be considered unsafe, equally harmful, and it should not be viewed as a safe alternative to cigarettes

Genotoxic potential of cyfluthrin

PubMedID: 18692594Cyfluthrin (CAS no. 68359-37-5), a synthetic fluorinated pyrethroid insecticide, is widely used in the home environment and in agriculture because of its high activity against a broad spectrum of insect pests and its low animal toxicity. There are no adequate data on genotoxic effects of cyfluthrin. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential genotoxic effects of cyfluthrin. The genotoxicity of cyfluthrin was evaluated, in vitro, by assessing the ability of the insecticide to induce gene mutation (evaluated using the Ames/microsome test), chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) formation in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Additionally, CAs and cytotoxicity induced by cyfluthrin were investigated in rat (Rattus norvegicus var. Albinos) bone-marrow cells to assess in vivo genotoxicity of cyfluthrin. The counts of reverse mutations in Salmonella typhimurium were not significantly increased (P > 0.05). The frequency of CAs in human lymphocytes, treated with any concentration of cyfluthrin (500, 1000 or 2000 µg/ml) for a 24-h period, was not significantly increased (P > 0.05). In contrast, CA was significantly increased for the highest two concentrations (1000 and 2000 µg/ml) in the 48-h treatment group compared with the control group (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO). Micronucleus formation was significantly (P 0.05). Mitotic index (MI), proliferation index (PI) and nuclear division index (NDI) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) due to the potential cytotoxicity of cyfluthrin, especially after the 48-h treatment period. The frequency of chromosome aberrations in bone-marrow cells of rats treated with the test substance increased significantly (P < 0.05) for all doses (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight) for the two treatment periods (12 and 24 h) and the two administration routes, viz. intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) and oral gavage (gvg). In vivo cytotoxicity of cyfluthrin was detected only after administration by gavage for the 24-h treatment period. All these findings were not dose-dependent. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The effects of boric acid on sister chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations in cultured human lymphocytes

The aim of this study was to determine the possible genotoxic effects of boric acid (BA) (E284), which is used as an antimicrobial agent in food, by using sister chromatid exchange (SCEs) and chromosome aberration (CAs) tests in human peripheral lymphocytes. The human lymphocytes were treated with 400, 600, 800, and 1000 μg/mL concentrations of BA dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), for 24 h and 48 h treatment periods. BA did not increase the SCEs for all the concentrations and treatment periods when compared to control and solvent control (DMSO). BA induced structural and total CAs at all the tested concentrations for 24 and 48 h treatment periods. The induction of the total CAs was dose dependent for the 24 h treatment period. However, BA did not cause numerical CAs. BA showed a cytotoxic effect by decreasing the replication index (RI) and mitotic index (MI). BA decreased the MI in a dose-dependent manner for the 24 h treatment period