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Alkaline comet assay as a biomarker of DNA-damage encountered in workers engaged in cigarette manufacturing

Vera Garaj-Vrhovac ; Mutagenesis Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
GORAN GAJSKI ; Mutagenesis Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
VLATKA BRUMEN ; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 4, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sažetak

Background and Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to determine
possible genotoxic effects of occupational exposure to tobacco dust between workers employed in tobbaco industry and non-exposed population.

Subjects and Method: The exposed group consisted of 20 subjects with mena age of 43.4 years. The average duration of their occupational exposure was 19.95 years. The control group consisted of 40 subjects, mean age 40.18 years and was choosen from general Croatian population. The assessment of primaryDNAdamage hosted by peripheral blood leukocytes was performed using the alkaline comet assay, the tail length and long-tailed nuclei thereby
being the primary outcome of the measure.

Results and Conclusions: The results showed that group comet tail
length mean measured in the exposed workers was 14.39±1.02 mm whereas mean percentage of long-tailed nuclei was 8.20. In the control group, the mean tail length was 13.91±0.66 mm and long-tailed nucleus percentage was 1.88. Mean values for the tail length measured and the percentage of long-tailed nuclei were significantly higher in the exposed group compared to the control one. Within the exposed population, significant inter-individual differences inDNAdamage were found (P<0.05). The observedDNAdamage
frequency characterized the tobacco dust as an undoubted genotoxicant, and the outcome of the alkaline comet assay stressed the importance of biomonitoring of the exposed individuals.

Ključne riječi

Tobacco dust; alkaline comet assay; occupational exposure; tail length; long-tailed nuclei

Hrčak ID:

36000

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/36000

Datum izdavanja:

31.3.2009.

Posjeta: 1.521 *