Comet electrophoresis of blood nucleated cells in genotoxicity assessment.
OBJECTIVE
Genotoxicity evaluations of several different chemicals including L-4-oxalysine, 10-Hydroxycamptothecin (HCT), 19-norprogesteron (ST1435), dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), bleomycin (BLM), and mitomycin C (MMC).


METHODS
Alkaline comet assay in vitro (single cell gel) (SCG).


RESULTS
L-4-oxalysine and HCT did not cause directly DNA damage. ST1435, the subdermal implant progestin, had no effect on DNA damage until the dose level up to 4 mmol.L-1. Me2SO did not increase DNA damage at concentration below 2%, but showed a concentration-dependent DNA damage at > or = 4%. Bleomycin and mitomycin C demonstrated a strong dose-dependent DNA damage.


CONCLUSIONS
Comet assay as a tool to test the genotoxicity of suspected chemicals, is rapid, simple, sensitive, good reproducible, and inexpensive.
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
J Y
JY
Guo
Z H
ZH
Tu
D000818:Animals; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000633:toxicity*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000633:toxicity; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000633:toxicity*; D009653:Norprogesterones / Q000633:toxicity; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D009653:Norprogesterones; D001761:Bleomycin; D016685:Mitomycin; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide