title: Micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities in buccal mucosa cells in patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
abstract: The aim of this study is to assess the frequency of micronucleated cell (MNC) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) in the buccal mucosa cells of females with anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN), compared with healthy women. Individuals with AN and BN have inadequate feeding and compensatory behaviour to avoid weight gain. These behaviours can cause extreme body stress, thereby inducing DNA damage. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed the frequency of MNC and NA in the buccal mucosa cells of female participants with AN or BN. All of these patients had been admitted to a private clinic for the treatment of eating disorders after diagnosis with AN (n = 10) or BN (n = 7) according to the DSM-IV. Age-matched healthy female participants (n = 17) composed the control group. Oral mucosa samples were collected, fixed, stained by aceto-orcein/fast green and microscopically examined. Normal cells, MNC and NAs were counted within a 2000 cell sample. The results were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Differences were observed in the frequency of MNC in healthy females (1.2±0.9) versus that of patients with AN (3.4±1.5) (P < 0.0001) and BN (4.1±2.2) (P < 0.001). No differences were found among these groups in terms of NA. AN and BN are related to the loss of genetic material through chromosomal fractures and/or damage to the mitotic spindle (i.e. possibly a result of a deficiency in DNA precursors). Self-imposed compensatory behaviours in AN and BN, such as severe food restriction, potential malnutrition, vomiting, use of diuretics and laxatives and acute exhaustive exercise, are possible inducers of MNC and genotoxic damage. Of these compensatory behaviours, only vomiting has not been linked to genotoxic damage. This is the first report in women with BN, which should be studied in the future.
authors.affiliation: Grupo Internacional Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Av. Patria 1201, Lomas del Valle, Zapopan, Jalisco 45129, México.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Torres-Bugarín
authors.affiliation: Grupo Internacional Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Av. Patria 1201, Lomas del Valle, Zapopan, Jalisco 45129, México, Maestría en Nutrición Clínica, Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Av. Tepeyac 4800, Fraccionamiento Prados Tepeyac, Zapopan, Jalisco 45050, México.
authors.forename: Angélica Guadalupe
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Educación e Investigación, UMAE Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional de Occidente, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Belisario Dominguez 1000, Colonia Independencia, Guadalajara, Jalisco 44340, México.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Valls
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Salud Pública, División de Ciencias Veterinarias, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Camino Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, Nextipac, Zapopan, Jalisco 54110, México.
authors.forename: María Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ramos-Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Maestría en Nutrición Clínica, Universidad del Valle de Atemajac, Av. Tepeyac 4800, Fraccionamiento Prados Tepeyac, Zapopan, Jalisco 45050, México, Departamento de Clínicas Médicas, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Hospital 308, El Retiro, Guadalajara, Jalisco 44280, México and División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Sierra Mojada 800, Colonia Independencia, Guadalajara, Jalisco 44320, México bltorres1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Blanca Miriam
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Torres-Mendoza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000473:pathology*; D000886:Anthropometry; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult