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Detection of sister chromatid exchanges induced by volatile genotoxicants.

Tucker-JD; Xu-J; Stewart-J; Baciu-PC; Ong-M

Teratog, Carcinog, Mutagen 1986 Jan; 6(1):15-21

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tcm.1770060103

00166027

A technique was described which used sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures to assess the genotoxic potential of vapors. The compounds tested were methyl- bromide (74839), ethylene-oxide (75218), propylene-oxide (75569), and diesel exhaust. Heparinized human whole blood was obtained from healthy nonsmokers. Whole blood was cultured under standard conditions, with the addition of phytohemagglutinin to stimulate lymphocyte division. After 22 to 26 hours, cultures were exposed to 4.3 percent methyl-bromide (MB), 4.0 percent ethylene-oxide (EO), 2.5 percent propylene-oxide (PO), or direct diesel exhaust. The amount of chemical to which each culture was exposed was achieved by varying the exposure time because it was not possible to adjust chemical concentrations. The number of SCEs were counted, and the data were subjected to square root transformation. MB increased SCE frequency from 9.90 to 16.84 per cell. EO produced increases in SCEs from 10.00 to 25.76 and 9.00 to 26.28 after 10 and 30 second exposures, respectively. PO increased SCEs from 8.74 to 22.74 per cell. Cultures from two donors showed a small but statistically significant increase in SCEs when exposed to diesel emissions, while cultures from two other donors did not. This was unexpected, as the mutagenicity of diesel emissions has been well documented in other systems. The authors suggest this may be due to different individual sensitivities. The authors conclude that this system is useful for detecting volatile genotoxic agents and may have application for monitoring of workplaces where airborne genotoxic agents may exist.

NIOSH-Author; In-vitro-studies; Toxic-vapors; Chromosome-damage; Diesel-exhausts; Gene-mutation; Humans; Lymphocytes; Carcinogenesis; Mutagenesis; Author Keywords: SCE; volatile compounds; human lymphocytes; ethylene oxide; propylene oxide; methyl bromide; diesel exhaust

James D. Tucker, Biomedical Sciences Division, Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 5507, Livermore, CA 94550

TCMUD8

74-83-9; 75-21-8; 75-56-9

19860101

Journal Article

1986

1

0270-3211

DRDS

Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis, and Mutagenesis

WV; CA