Chromosomal aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes of children as biomarkers of environmental exposure and life style

Micronuclei in Cord Blood Lymphocytes as a Biomarker of Transplacental Exposure to Environmental Pollutants

“…It is well documented that the frequency of chromosomal damages in circulating lymphocytes is a relevant biomarker of health risk in humans, refl ecting both early biological effects of exposure to genotoxic carcinogens and individual susceptibility (Price et al 1978). The fact that the presence of MN occurs as a result of chromosome damage and refl ects the degree of genetic instability was reported by numerous authors (Rössner et al 2002;Mateuca et al 2006;Zalacain et al 2006). The cytotokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay is a preferred method for measuring MN in the cultured cells.…”

Monitoring of Lymphocyte Micronuclei among Newborns from Kragujevac in Central Serbia before and after Environmental Contamination

“…Children are the most convenient subjects for studying the effects of environmental pollution. They are not affected by occupational exposure, unhealthy life style (smoking, alcohol, drugs), or by diseases of adults (Rossner et al 2002). Whyatt et al (1998) reported that air pollution had increased DNA damage more in fetal 12 and 18 months after environmental contamination.…”

“…If we assume that MN are biomarkers for exposure, including industrial chemical exposure, and urban air pollution effects (Rossner et al 2002), the observed changes in mean values of MN may be explained by substantial changes in living environment during the observed periods.…”

Fluorescence in situ hybridization is necessary to detect an association between chromosome aberrations and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in utero and reveals nonrandom chromosome involvement

“…They have been used widely as a biomarker of cancer risk in adults [Brogger et al, 1990;Chorazy, 1996;Motykiewicz et al, 1998;Huttner et al, 1999;Michalska et al, 1999], and to measure of the effect of environmental pollutants in infants and children [Ramsey et al, 1995;Sram et al, 1999;Pluth et al, 2000;Rossner et al, 2002;Neri et al, 2006a,b].…”

“…Previous research has utilized chromosome aberrations as a tool to examine the relationship between in utero environmental exposures and cancer risk [Ramsey et al, 1995;Sram et al, 1999;Pluth et al, 2000;Rossner et al, 2002]. Two studies using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as a detection method were able to demonstrate a significant positive association between active maternal smoking during pregnancy and increased chromosome aberration levels measured in cord blood [Ramsey et al, 1995;Pluth et al, 2000].…”