[DNA comet assay for evaluation of genotoxic effects in risk groups]

DNA comet assay (CA), gel electrophoresis of single cells, is effective in evaluating the genetic (genotoxic) effects of endogenous and exogenous agents. CA was used to study the extent of spontaneous or UV-induced DNA damages in the leukocytes in two groups at genetic risk: in Chernobyl accident liquidators and patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). There was a significant increase in the number of UV-induced and excision repair-mediated DNA breaks in both risk groups as compared to control samples. The spontaneous extent of DNA breaks in the cells of the liquidators and FMF patients were similar to those in the controls. The extent of oxidative DNA damages detected during incubation with the endonuclease enzymes formamidopyrimidine glycosylase and endonuclease III were also determined in FMF patients. There were no statistically significant differences in the extent of oxidative DNA damage in the cells of FMF patients as compared to the controls. The findings give grounds to recommend CA for biomonitoring of genotoxic effects.