Chromosome instability on children with asthma.
BACKGROUND
Asthma is a complex disease with multiple interactions between genetic and environmental factors.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to investigate the possible genetic instability in asthmatic patients (AP) with asthma in human cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes. Furthermore, the presence of either cytostaticity or cytotoxicity was demonstrated.


METHODS
Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were cultured from 18 admitted children to the Pediatric Clinic of the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis (average age 7.2 years), and 9 healthy blood donors were used as control subjects (average age 6.5 years), none of whom was receiving drugs for medical or other reasons.


RESULTS
A significant (p < 0.05) increase in spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) frequency in asthmatic patients compared with control subjects was observed. No statistically significant modification in the spontaneous proliferation rate index (PRI) in AP compared with the controls was demonstrated. Finally, MMC induced a statistically significant increase in SCEs frequency both to controls and to AP, with the MMC-induced SCEs rates in AP being statistically (p < 0.01) higher compared to the MMC-induced SCEs in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
We try to improve a new diagnostic process of possible genetic instability by a combination of genotoxic, cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of asthma on human peripheral lymphocytes.
Department of Genetics, Demokrition University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. lialiari@med.duth.gr
Theodore
T
Lialiaris
Aggeliki
A
Polyzou
Panagiotis
P
Mpountoukas
Anthi
A
Tsiggene
Alexandros
A
Kouskoukis
Stamatia
S
Pouliliou
Emmanouil
E
Paraskakis
Ioannis
I
Tentes
Grigorios
G
Trypsianis
Athanasios
A
Chatzimichail
D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D043171:Chromosomal Instability; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects
D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D016685:Mitomycin; D004247:DNA