Activity of O 6 -methylguanine DNA methyltransferase in mononuclear blood cells of formaldehyde-exposed medical students

Abstract

A recent study reported that exposure of student embalmers in Cincinnati to high concentrations of formaldehyde (2 mg/m3) reduced the activity of the DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Reduction in a DNA repair enzyme may strongly increase the cancer risk not only with respect to the repair-enzyme causing agent but with respect to all carcinogens causing lesions subject to repair by the enzyme in question. Thus, we examined whether formaldehyde exposure of 57 medical students during their anatomy course at two different Universities in Germany influenced MGMT activity in mononuclear blood cells. Mean formaldehyde exposure of 41 students was 0.2 +/- 0.05 mg/m3 for 6 h per week. MGMT activity was 133.2 +/- 14.9 fmol MGMT/10(6) cells before the beginning of the formaldehyde exposure, 131.1 +/- 15.8 fmol MGMT/10(6) cells after 50 days (P = 0.56) and 128.2 +/- 19.0 fmol MGMT/10(6) cells after 111 days of exposure (P = 0.92). Similarly, no significant influence of formaldehyde exposure was observed, when smoking habits, alcohol consumption, allergic disease and sex of students were considered. In addition no significant difference was obtained in MGMT activity between 16 students with mean formaldehyde exposure of 0.8 +/- 0.6 mg/m3 and students without formaldehyde exposure (n = 51; P = 0.37). In conclusion, exposure of the medical students in western Europe to formaldehyde did not decrease MGMT activity in mononuclear blood cells.

Formaldehyde Advantages and Disadvantages: Usage Areas and Harmful Effects on Human Beings

“…Formaldehyde is used in the storage of biological samples and mummification as it hardens proteins and prevents them from decomposition. Also, it is used as disinfectant because it kills insects and many microorganisms [13]. Formaldehyde, which has an important place in the field of medicine, is used in the anatomy laboratory for the determination of the cadaver and its long-term storage without decomposition and used in histology and pathology laboratories during the fixation stage of tissues.…”

“…Research on persons working in industrial areas where formaldehyde production is performed or used showed that there is an increase in the number of people dying from brain cancer, blood cancer, and colon cancer compared to the normal population [2,13]. Furthermore, the use of formaldehyde-containing products in homes and workplaces in daily life (wall paint, furniture, lacquer coatings, deodorants, cleaning products, etc.)…”

“…Then, circulatory failure and severe metabolic acidosis occur and result in death within a few days [1]. In addition, in some studies, it has been stated that formaldehyde inhibits the activity of some enzymes and increases some enzyme activity [13,34].…”

Replacing Formalin with Alcohol and its Effect on Preserved Fish Specimens

“…Formalin is also used in preserving vital samples and tissues as well as in embalming. In addition to its use as an antiseptic and an exterminator for many pathological microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoa in addition to insects alike, as indicated by [6], it also has a wide range of medical uses, especially in tissue preparation and preservation, dentistry, and kidney dialysis. It is a preservative for many different drug formulations, as shown by [7][8][9].…”