title: Cyto- and genotoxic potential of water samples from polluted areas in Kosovo.
abstract: Reports on the state of the environment in Kosovo have emphasized that river and ground water quality is affected by pollution from untreated urban water as well as the waste water from the industry. One of the main contributors to this pollution is located in Obiliq (coal power plants). Prishtina-the capital city of Kosovo-is heavily influenced too. Furthermore, the pollutants combined together with those from heavy traffic are dissolved in Prishtina runoff water, which is discharged into the creek entering the river Sitnica together with urban waste water. The available data show the complex pollution with excessive quantities of nitrites, suspended materials, organic compounds, detergents, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, etc. In this study, the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water samples taken at these sites was tested in primary rat hepatocytes. The results obtained indicate that water samples collected in Prishtina and Obiliq had a significant cytotoxic potential in primary rat hepatocyte cultures even when diluted to 1 %. The increased cytotoxicity, however, was not accompanied by an increased genotoxicity as measured by the percentage of micronucleated cells. Further investigations addressing the chemical composition of the samples and the identification of the toxicants responsible for the cytotoxic effects found will be carried out in a next step.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Prishtina, Xhorxh Bush, n.n, 10000, Prishtina, Kosova. avdulla.alija@uni-pr.edu.
authors.forename: Avdulla J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alija
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Prishtina, Xhorxh Bush, n.n, 10000, Prishtina, Kosova.
authors.forename: Ismet D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Bajraktari
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Nikolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bresgen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Ekramije
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bojaxhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krenn
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Prishtina, Xhorxh Bush, n.n, 10000, Prishtina, Kosova.
authors.forename: Fisnik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Asllani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Eckl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D063826:Kosovo; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000139:chemically induced; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D009153:Mutagens; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Cytotoxicity; Environmental pollution; Genotoxicity; Kosovo; Rat hepatocytes