Comet assay: a reliable tool for the assessment of DNA damage in different models |
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Authors: | Alok Dhawan Mahima Bajpayee Devendra Parmar |
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Institution: | (1) Developmental Toxicology Division, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (formerly Industrial Toxicology Research Centre), P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow, 226 001, India |
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Abstract: | New chemicals are being added each year to the existing burden of toxic substances in the environment. This has led to increased
pollution of ecosystems as well as deterioration of the air, water, and soil quality. Excessive agricultural and industrial
activities adversely affect biodiversity, threatening the survival of species in a particular habitat as well as posing disease
risks to humans. Some of the chemicals, e.g., pesticides and heavy metals, may be genotoxic to the sentinel species and/or
to non-target species, causing deleterious effects in somatic or germ cells. Test systems which help in hazard prediction
and risk assessment are important to assess the genotoxic potential of chemicals before their release into the environment
or commercial use as well as DNA damage in flora and fauna affected by contaminated/polluted habitats. The Comet assay has
been widely accepted as a simple, sensitive, and rapid tool for assessing DNA damage and repair in individual eukaryotic as
well as some prokaryotic cells, and has increasingly found application in diverse fields ranging from genetic toxicology to
human epidemiology. This review is an attempt to comprehensively encase the use of Comet assay in different models from bacteria
to man, employing diverse cell types to assess the DNA-damaging potential of chemicals and/or environmental conditions. Sentinel
species are the first to be affected by adverse changes in their environment. Determination of DNA damage using the Comet
assay in these indicator organisms would thus provide information about the genotoxic potential of their habitat at an early
stage. This would allow for intervention strategies to be implemented for prevention or reduction of deleterious health effects
in the sentinel species as well as in humans.
IITR Communication No. 2656 |
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Keywords: | Comet assay In vivo In vitro Plants Invertebrate and vertebrate animal models Human monitoring |
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