Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System
Published on: October 22, 2020
Acute wood or coal exposure with carbon monoxide intoxication induces sister chromatid exchange
Sükrü Oztürk1, Sezai Vatansever, Kivanç Cefle
1Branch of Medical Genetics, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Turkey. sozturk@istanbul.edu.tr
Objective:
The object of this study was to investigate the genotoxic effect of acute overexposure to combustion products originating from coal or wood stoves in patients presenting with acute carbon monoxide intoxication.
Study Design:
In a prospective study, we analyzed the frequency of sister chromatid exchange and the carboxyhemoglobin concentration in 20 consecutive patients without a history of smoking or drug use who had been treated in the Emergency Care Unit of Istanbul Medical Faculty due to acute carbon monoxide intoxication. All of these cases were domestic accidents due to dysfunctioning coal or wood stoves. The results were compared with a control group of 20 nonsmoking, nondrug-using healthy individuals matched for age, sex, and absence of other chemical exposure.
Results:
The mean sister chromatid exchange frequency per metaphase was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group: 8.11 +/- 2.39 vs. 6.33 +/- 1.60 (p = 0.008). We found that there was no positive correlation between the blood carboxyhemoglobin concentration and sister chromatid exchange frequency.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that acute exposure to combustion products of wood or coal is genotoxic to DNA. Potential causes of genotoxicity include known mutagenic compounds present in coal or wood smoke and ash, oxygen radicals formed during combustion, as well as hypoxic and reperfusion injury mechanisms initiated by carbon monoxide intoxication. Additional studies on separate carbon monoxide exposure from smoke and ash are needed to understand individual genotoxic contributions and mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
Attachment of Sister Chromatids
Crossing Over
Gene Conversion
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Separation of Sister Chromatids
At the onset of anaphase, separase, a proteolytic enzyme, is...
Homologous Recombination
