Urine of tobacco/areca nut chewers causes genomic damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
The chromosome-damaging effects of urine concentrates (UCs) from tobacco plus areca nut (T/AN) chewers (a highly popular habit and a major risk factor for oral cancer in India) were evaluated on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells employing two cytogenetic end-points, namely chromosome aberration (CA) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies. Urine creatinine levels were comparable between controls and T/AN chewers. CA and SCE frequencies in CHO cells were found to be elevated significantly (P < 0.001) following treatment with UCs prepared from T/AN chewers (UC-T/AN chewers) as well as with UCs of non-chewer controls (UC-control subjects). Moreover, elevation of these two parameters by UC-T/AN chewers was significantly higher in comparison to that of UC-controls. The results of the present study indicated that besides the oral cavity, which is a target organ for T/AN chewers, mutagens/carcinogens in tobacco and areca nut might be playing a causative role in cancer of the urinary bladder as well.
Department of Cancer Biology, Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India.
A H
AH
Trivedi
S K
SK
Roy
R J
RJ
Jaju
R K
RK
Patel
S G
SG
Adhvaryu
D B
DB
Balar
D000818:Animals; D001114:Areca / Q000378:metabolism*; D001711:Biotransformation; D016466:CHO Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D006224:Cricetinae; D006801:Humans; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012016:Reference Values; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry*
D003404:Creatinine