Changes of genome stability in hippocampal cells of male rats with hereditary high and low thresholds of nervus tibialis response to electric stimuli (HT and LT strains, respectively) were studied in unstressed and stressed animals. HT and LT originated from Wistar strain, males of which were also used as a control. The comet assay was used after prolonged emotional painful stressor action. There were no interstrain differences in the spontaneous percentage of DNA in comet tails (tDNA). However, the prolonged emotional pain stressor induced genome instability differently in animals of different strains. The highest level of DNA damage in hippocampal cells was shown in highly sensitive animals of LT strain. Males of Wistar strain had intermediate levels of tDNA, while HT animals had the lowest stress reactivity.
BACKGROUND: Different stressors affect the genome integrity, but the mechanisms of such action are underexplored.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bone marrow and testicular cells of CBA and CD-1 mouse males were used to estimate their genome integrity after stressor action by the comet assay.
RESULTS: It is shown here that restraint and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine both increase damaged cell frequency in bone marrow as well as in testes of mouse males. For the first time the effect of immobilization and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine in testicular cells is demonstrated using the comet assay. Both stressors have similar effects in cells of both tissues analyzed.
CONCLUSION: Mechanisms of the effects and possible role in microevolution are under discussion.
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