engleski

The assessment of primary DNA damage in peripheral blood leukocytes of nuclear medicine personnel

The genotoxic effects of occupational exposure at nuclear medicine departments were investigated by using the alkaline comet assay. Study was performed on 100 healthy subjects ; 50 of them were occupationally exposed to low doses of particular ionizing emissions from different radioactive isotopes and 50 were unexposed controls of similar age and smoking status. Their blood samples were processes by standard alkaline comet assay procedure ; after embedding into agarose microgels, they were lysed, denatured and subjected to electrophoresis.A total of 100 randomly captured comets from each slide were examined using an epifluorescent microscope connected through a black and white camera to an image analysis system. The quantify the DNA damage taillength and tail moment were evaluated. The results obtained showed statistically significant differences between comet tail lenght and tail moment values measured in exposed and control groups. Within exposed group significant inter-individual differences in DNA damage were recorded, indicating different genome sensitivity.The present study indicates the possibility of genotoxic risks related to occupational exposure in nuclear medicine departments. Therefore, to avoid possible genotoxic effects occupational exposure personnel should carefully apply the radiation protection procedures to minimize, as low as possible, thei radiation exposure. The results obtained confirmed usefulness of the alkaline comet assay as a sensitive additional biomarker in the regular health screening of workers occupationally exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation.

occupationally exposed; peripheral blood leukocytes; nuclear medicine; comet assay

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