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.
Guo
J Y
JY
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
Tu
Z H
ZH
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