title: Effect of ascorbic acid prophylaxis on the frequency of chromosome aberrations, urine mutagenicity and nucleolus test in workers occupationally exposed to cytostatic drugs.
abstract: The genetic risk of workers occupationally exposed to a series of newly developed cytostatic drugs and the presumed antimutagenic potential of ascorbic acid (AA) were studied in a group of 38 chemical laboratory personnel examined for chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes, urine mutagenicity and nucleolar RNA activity before and after a 6-month prophylactic administration of AA at daily doses of 1 g for 5 days a week. Chromosome aberration tests revealed elevated aberrant cell (AB.C) rates both prior to and after AA supplementation (3.9% and 3.65% of AB.C., respectively). These values were significantly higher than those found in 18 non-exposed matching controls (1.05% of AB.C.). Tests for mutagenic activity in the urine of drug-exposed workers revealed 64% positive urine samples prior to vitaminization and 60% positive urine specimens after it; positive urine samples in the group of controls accounted for 21% of samples. In the nucleolus test, numbers of inactivated micronuclei in the exposed were initially higher than those of controls (33.4% versus 24.3%), but dropped to 20.5% after AA supplementation. These findings show that AA prophylaxis alone cannot substantially reduce the hazards associated with exposure to anti-cancer drugs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rössner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerná
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pokorná
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hájek
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petr
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D006801:Humans; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000652:urine*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009153:Mutagens; D001205:Ascorbic Acid