Micronuclei Assay in Exfoliated Buccal Cells from Individuals Exposed to Arsenic in Argentina

Abstract

Drinking arsenic (As)-laden water for a long time affects a population's health and leads to chronic hydroarsenicism, which is associated with an increased incidence of different types of cancer. To determine the potential genotoxic risk associated with different degrees of environmental exposure to inorganic As by way of drinking water, micronuclei (MN) frequency in exfoliated buccal cells was evaluated in Argentina among rural populations of Santiago del Estero and urban populations of Buenos Aires. The exposed group in Santiago del Estero (La Firmeza and Santos Lugares localities) showed a significant increase in MN frequency in epithelial cells compared with controls (Monte Quemado and Urutau localities) (p = 0.0005). With regard to the Buenos Aires groups, Navarro individuals (the exposed group) exhibited a significant difference compared with controls (Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) (p = 0.0002). Comparison of MN frequencies between Santiago del Estero and Buenos Aires individuals showed that genotoxic effects of As in drinking water exhibit variation between rural and urban groups, probably due to individual susceptibility being an important incidence factor. The results clearly show that MN assay in buccal mucosa cells is an ideal methodology with which to measure potential genetic risk related to environmental As exposure in humans.

Micronucleus in Exfoliated Buccal Cells of Children From Durango, Mexico, Exposed to Arsenic Through Drinking Water

“…The levels of genotoxic damage found in this study were similar to those obtained in studies on adult populations in Mexico, Argentina, and Asia where a high number of micronucleated cells were observed in individuals who had been exposed to different concentrations of AsW, in comparison to control groups (Gonsenbatt et al 1997, Basu et al 2002, Chakraborty et al 2006, Bartolotta et al 2010. Micronucleus frequency (MNf) per 1000 buccal cells is shown in table II.…”

“…The frequencies of MN in exfoliated buccal epithelial cells have been used for cancer screening and biomonitoring of genotoxic effects in humans exposed to As (Martínez et al 2005, Chakraborty et al 2006, Ghosh et al 2008, Bartolotta et al 2010. They serve as an appropriate index to monitor the genotoxicity induced by As thanks to the fact that the cells are in direct contact with the carcinogen.…”

Epidemiology of chronic disease related to arsenic in Argentina: A systematic review

“…1). The characteristics of the included studies are described in Table 1 (Gerstenfeld et al, 2012;Carballo et al, 2006;Aballay et al, 2012;Ameer et al, 2014;Auge, 2014;Bartolotta et al, 2011;Blanco et al, 2012;Bobillo et al, 2014;Bonafina and Ratto, 2009;Cabrera and Gomez, 2003a;Campaña et al, 2014;Concha et al, 2006;Corey et al, 2005;Engstrom et al, 2009Engstrom et al, , 2011Escalante et al, 2009;Esposito et al, 2011;Ferral et al, 2014;Gonzalez Uriarte et al, 2002;Guber et al, 2009;Heredia and Fernandez, 2009;Hick and Carballo, 2005;Matos et al, 2000;Medina et al, 2004;Molina et al, 2014;Moschione et al, 2014;Navoni et al, 2006Navoni et al, , 2012Olivera et al, 2006;Olmos et al, 2014;Paoloni et al, 2005Paoloni et al, , 2009Peluso et al, 2011Peluso et al, , 2012Pou et al, 2011;Rigacci et al, 2013;Roman et al, 2014;Rosso et al, 2011Rosso et al, , 2013Sch...…”

Evaluation of the Association between Arsenic and Diabetes: A National Toxicology Program Workshop Review

“…Also, the time period of exposure captured by hair and nail measurements depends on the specific segments collected and analyzed. Other target tissues (e.g., urothelial cells) and buccal and saliva samples have also been suggested (Bartolotta et al 2011; Hernández-Zavala et al 2008; Lew et al 2010). Although these emerging biomarkers deserve additional attention, a more expanded knowledge of toxicokinetic data and information on correlations with existing biomarkers and intake doses is needed before they are adopted for use in research.…”