engleski

Assessment of DNA damage in white blood cells of healthy human donors using the alkaline comet assay and chromosome aberration analysis

Assessment of normal levels of DNA damage in the general population is essential for the proper interpretation of data obtained by monitoring of populations occupationally or accidentally exposed to known or potentially genotoxic agents. The present study was undertaken to investigate how the variability in baseline damage in white blood cells from healthy human donors is associated with external and internal factors. Altogether 114 healthy donors, randomly selected from the general population of the Republic of Croatia, participated in the study. Two sensitive biomarkers: the alkaline comet assay and the chromosome aberration (CA) test were applied. The results point to inter-individual differences, indicating different genome sensitivity. As revealed by both assays, smoking habit mostly influenced the background levels of DNA damage. Gender and age did not significantly contribute to the pattern of DNA migration in white blood cells. Although the highest levels of primary DNA damage were recorded in blood samples collected in autumn, smoking status mostly influenced them. The results of chromosome aberration analysis also confirmed that smoking significantly influences the total number as well as the percentage of CA recorded in lymphocytes. Age was found to influence the total number of acentric fragments in subjects aged between 40 and 49 years. Significantly increased incidence of chromatid breaks, total number of CA and the percentage of aberrant cells were recorded in blood samples taken in autumn, but they were mostly influenced by smoking habit. Statistical evaluation of the data confirmed that a positive correlation exists between DNA migration and the number of long-tailed nuclei found with the comet assay and the total number of chromosome aberrations. The data obtained can serve as control values in forthcoming biomonitoring studies.

DNA damage; white blood cells; human donors; comet assay; chromosome aberrations

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