Culture time and reagent minimization in the chemical PCC assay

The possibility to reduce the culture time and volume of blood and reagents required for the chemical Premature Chromosome Condensation (PCC) assay is demonstrated in this work. Peripheral whole blood was exposed to gamma radiation (1-20 Gy). Lymphocytes were cultured for 40 h, using 50 μl of blood and 450 μl of culture medium. The dose-response curves were adjusted, using length ratio (LR) of the longest to the shortest chromosome piece, and the frequency of rings per cell. No statistical differences were found between the results obtained with this method and those reported with the classical PCC assay culture. The minimization of culture time and reagents in combination with the automatic measurement of the LR of the chromosome pieces, or the scoring of rings, can be a valuable biodosimetry tool in a mass casualty scenario.