Cytogenetic indices of buccal epithelium in schoolchildren residing in territories with different levels of the air pollution

In the article there are contained the results of the study of ambient air of the regional center, urban-type settlement, and buccal epithelium in 87 schoolchildren aged of 11-13 years. Schoolchildren residing in the regional center were shown to be more susceptible to the exposure to such toxicants as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, fluorhydric acid, chlorine and its compounds, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde contained in the ambient air. In this group of students if compared with students who live in the village, there were revealed more pronounced cytogenetic deteriorations in oral mucosal epitheliocytes: cells with micronuclei, different forms of protrusion of the core, dual-core cell mitosis, kariokynesis, apoptotic bodies significantly more common occur, that can speak about both not only of cytogenetic instability, but and the degree of environmental genotoxicity, in particular, ambient air. There was noted the tendency to increase the level of cytogenetic damage and destruction of the nucleus in the group of girls in comparison with boys.

Comet Assay: A Strong Tool for Evaluating DNA Damage and Comprehensive Guidelines for Plant Cells

Heavy metals affect plant system in various toxic ways including morphophysiological alterations and genotoxic damages inside a plant cell. The extent of DNA damage under any genotoxic agents can be effectively measured in single cells applying comet assay approach. Comet assay primarily measures DNA strand breakage in single cells and its use has increased in different areas: clinical applications, human monitoring, radiation biology and genetic ecotoxicology. This paper is a review of the detailed protocol and precautions to be taken while performing comet assay and may have been slightly modified from other original protocols according to the plant, organ, cell type, etc. In conclusion, the study reviewed in this paper demonstrate that the comet assay application in plants provides a reliable, sensitive and rapid system for the study of environmental genotoxicity caused by heavy metals.