Sister chromatid exchange in human populations: the effect of smoking, drug treatment, and occupational exposure.
Increased rate of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in peripheral lymphocytes has been observed in smokers as compared to nonsmokers and in patients receiving certain cytostatic drugs. The increased SCE frequency in smokers was shown to depend on the number of cigarettes smoked per day, as well as on the duration of smoking. DNA cross-links caused by photochemotherapy against psoriasis, 8-methoxypsoralen plus UVA irradiation (PUVA), as well as by the anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agent CCNU, were shown to be more effective at inducing SCE's than other types of DNA damage caused by these treatments. These observations suggest that SCE analysis may be used as an indicator of genotoxic exposure in vivo, provided that the various types of DNA damage caused by genotoxic agents and the dose, as well as the time of exposure in relation to the time of sampling, are considered.
D003434:Crossing Over, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D004260:DNA Repair; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008130:Lomustine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009790:Occupations; D011701:PUVA Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*; D012907:Smoking
D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds; D008130:Lomustine