Assessment of DNA damage in lymphocytes of workers exposed to X-radiation using the micronucleus test and the comet assay
Corresponding Author
Sharbel Weidner Maluf
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilSearch for more papers by this authorDaniela Ferreira Passos
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorAlexandre Bacelar
Graduate Research Group on Medical Physics, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorBernardo Erdtmann
Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Sharbel Weidner Maluf
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilSearch for more papers by this authorDaniela Ferreira Passos
Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorAlexandre Bacelar
Graduate Research Group on Medical Physics, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorBernardo Erdtmann
Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of genotoxic agents on exposed people have constituted an increasing concern. Therefore, the objective of this work was to assess DNA damage in lymphocytes of workers exposed to X-radiation using the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus test and the comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis), and to compare these two techniques in the monitoring of exposed populations. The cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus test and the comet assay were employed in the monitoring of 22 workers occupationally exposed to X-radiation in a hospital in southern Brazil. The frequency of dicentric bridges was also measured. The results of both assays and the frequency of dicentric bridges revealed a significant increase in genetic effects on the cells of exposed individuals. Age was significantly correlated with micronucleus frequency and damage index in the comet assay. The concomitant analysis of dicentric bridges when determining micronucleus frequency does not require much extra work, and may serve as a reference to the type of mutagenic effect (clastogenic or aneugenic). The combination of the alkaline comet assay with the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus test appears to be very informative for the monitoring of populations chronically exposed to genotoxic agents. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 38:311–315, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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