DNA-DAMAGE IN LEUKOCYTES AND BUCCAL AND NASAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO AIR-POLLUTION IN MEXICO-CITY

There is an increased interest in using biological markers to monitor individuals for possible exposure to environmental toxicants. Test sys tems which permit the sensitive detection of DNA damage and DNA repair are critically important in such studies. The single cell gel electro phoresis (SCG) assay is a rapid and a sensitive method for the evaluat ion of DNA damage at the single cell level, providing information on t he occurrence of DNA single-strand breaks and alkali labile sites usin g alkaline conditions. in this study, the differences in the basal lev el of DNA damage between young adults from the south (exposed principa lly to high levels of ozone) and young adults from the north (exposed principally to hydrocarbons and particles) of Mexico City were investi gated by the SCG assay using three different cell types (leukocytes an d nasal and buccal epithelial cells). We found an increased DNA migrat ion in blood leukocytes and nasal cells from individuals who live in t he southern part of the city compared to those living in the northern part; however, no differences were observed for buccal epithelial cell s. These results show the feasability of using the SCG assay to evalua te DNA damage in different tissues and its greet potential for use in the monitoring of humans potentially exposed to genotoxic pollutants. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.