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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Use of Frozen Tissue in the Comet Assay for the Evaluation of DNA Damage
Published on: March 24, 2020
Bio-monitoring of DNA damage in matchstick industry workers from Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Muhammad Khisroon1, Ajmal Khan1, Ubaid Ullah1
1a Department of Zoology , University of Peshawar , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan.
Background:
Safety protocols are usually neglected in most of the matchstick industries rendering the laborer prone to various occupational hazards.
Objective:
The present study highlights DNA damage among matchstick factory workers (n = 92) against a control group (n = 48) of healthy individuals.
Methods:
Genotoxicity was measured in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the test subjects using a Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis assay (SCGE/comet assay).
Results:
Our results substantiate a high Total Comet Score (TCS) for factory workers (74.5 ± 47.0) when compared to the control group (53.0 ± 25.0) (P ≤ 0.001). Age and duration of occupational exposure had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on TCS value. As for job function, the TCS value was greatest in sweepers (91.0 ± 56.1) and lowest in box-making operators (26.0 ± 25.0) indicating that waste disposal poses the higher risk of DNA damage.
Conclusions:
Our study corroborates that matchstick chemicals can potentially damage the DNA of exposed subjects.
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