Anatomical alterations in leaves and DNA damage in cells caused by the accumulation of atmospheric pollutants can be measured by epidermal leaf analyses and Tradescantia micronuclei assay with early pollen tetrad cells. The present study examined the feasibility of using somatic and germ cells of Tradescantia pallida for biomonitoring purposes in the city of Dourados, state of Mato Grosso do Su...

The potential effect of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted from video display terminals (VDTs) to elicit biological response is a major concern for the public. The software professionals are subjected to cumulative EMFs in their occupational environments. This study was undertaken to evaluate DNA damage and incidences of micronuclei in such professionals. To the best of our knowledge, the pr...

Inhalation of hard metal dust (WC-Co particles) has been associated with an increased risk for lung cancer in occupational settings. In vitro, WC-Co was genotoxic in human lymphocytes producing DNA strand breaks and micronuclei. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vivo genotoxic effects of WC-Co dust in rat type II pneumocytes. DNA breaks/alkali-labile sites (alkaline comet assa...

The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay is one of the standard cytogenetic tools employed to assess chromosomal damage subsequent to exposure to genotoxic/cytotoxic agents, and is widely applicable to plant, animal and human cells. In the present study, the CBMN assay was used to assess the baseline damage in binuclear human peripheral blood lymphocytes exposed to 25 microg/L p,p'-DDT f...

Hydroquinone (HQ) has been reported to produce chromosomal effects in some in vivo and in vitro animal models. Its potential for inducing similar effects in human lymphocytes is less clear. The purpose of this study was to examine human lymphocytes treated with HQ for the presence of chromosomal anomalies, using an accepted assay for micronuclei. In addition, the stability of HQ in culture medi...

Aneugenic and clastogenic agents are good inducers of both micronuclei and apoptosis. In its turn, apoptosis may modify the threshold values for the induction of micronuclei. This is of major concern for accurate assessment of hazard related to exposure to mutagens. In the present work we studied the influence of caspases, the key regulators of the apoptotic process, on the induction of micronu...

The radiotracer technetium-99m methoxyisobutyl isonitrile ((99m)Tc-MIBI) has been widely used for myocardial blood flow imaging. We investigated the genotoxicity of (99m)Tc-MIBI in cultured human lymphocytes at the same concentration used in patients. Radioactivity doses were determined in whole blood at 5 min post-injection of 20 mCi (99m)Tc-MIBI in patients. Subsequently, whole blood of human...

The alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) was applied to study the genotoxic properties of silica in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The study was designed to evaluate the DNA damage of lymphocytes and the end points like micronuclei from buccal smears in a group of 45 workers, occupationally exposed to silica, from small mines and stone quarries. The results were com...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate cytotoxic potential a new complex silver(I) with furosemide (Ag-FSE) over panel tumor and non-tumor human cells, as well its genotoxicological safety. According results obtained, cell line derived from colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) most sensitive Ag-FSE complex, among cells non-transforming fibroblasts known GM07492A, which stimulated characteri...

Background: This study has used biomarker of exposure-effect continuum to examine the biological characteristics of organophosphate (OP) toxicity and its genotoxic effect among rice farmers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 pesticide exposed rice farmers and 160 adults from the fishing village as the unexposed group. They share the common socio-economical ...