Daisy Maria Favero Salvadori

Lack of Genotoxicity of Formocresol, Paramonochlorophenol, and Calcium Hydroxide on Mammalian Cells by Comet Assay

Formocresol, paramonochlorophenol, and calcium hydroxide are widely used in dentistry because of their antibacterial activities in root canal disinfection. However, the results of genotoxicity studies using these materials are inconsistent in literature. The goal of this study was to examine the genotoxic potential of formocresol, paramonochlorophenol, and calcium hydroxide using mouse lymphoma cells and human fibroblasts cells in vitro by the comet assay. Data were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. The results showed that all compounds tested did not cause DNA damage for the tail moment or tail intensity parameters. These findings suggest that formocresol, paramonochlorophenol, and calcium hydroxide do not promote DNA damage in mammalian cells and that the comet assay is a suitable tool to investigate genotoxicity.

Genotoxicity of corrosion eluates obtained from endosseous implants

Purpose:Commercially pure titanium alloys are currently used as metallic biomaterials in implantology. Corrosion phenomena appear to play a decisive role in metallic implant long-term behavior. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the genotoxic potential of corrosion eluates obtained from dental implants using Chinese ovary hamster cells in vitro by the single-cell gel (comet) assay. This technique detects deoxyribonucleic acid strand breaks in individual cells in alkaline conditions. Materials and Methods:The materials tested included 3 dental implants commercially available. Each of the tested materials was corroded in a solution consisting of equal amounts of acetic acid and sodium chloride (0.1 M) for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. The Chinese ovary hamster cultures were then exposed to all corrosion eluates obtained from endosseous dental implants for 30 minutes at 37°C. Results:None of the eluates was found to exhibit genotoxicity, regardless of the type of dental implant used. Conclusion:The results suggest that all dental implants tested in this study did not induce deoxyribonucleic acid breakage as depicted by the single-cell gel (comet) assay.

Lack of DNA damage induced by fluoride on mouse lymphoma and human fibroblast cells by single cell gel (comet) assay

Fluoride has widely been used in Dentistry because it is a specific and effective caries prophylactic agent. However, excess fluoride may represent a hazard to human health, especially by causing injury on genetic apparatus. Genotoxicity tests constitute an important part of cancer research for risk assessment of potential carcinogens. In this study, the potential DNA damage associated with exposure to fluoride was assessed by the single cell gel (comet) assay in vitro. Mouse lymphoma and human fibroblast cells were exposed to sodium fluoride (NaF) at final concentration ranging from 7 to 100 microg/mL for 3 h at 37 degrees C. The results pointed out that NaF in all tested concentrations did not contribute to DNA damage as depicted by the mean tail moment and tail intensity for both cellular types assessed. These findings are clinically important because they represent a valuable contribution for evaluation of the potential health risk associated with exposure to agents usually used in dental practice.

Cytogenetic effects of inhaled ethylene oxide in somatic and germ cells of mice

The induction of cytogenetic effects by inhalation of ethylene oxide was tested in bone marrow cells and primary spermatocytes at diakinesis-metaphase I cells from mouse after a single treatment (6 h/1 day) at 0, 200, 400 and 600 ppm, and multiple treatment (6 h/5 days/2 weeks) at 0, 200 and 400 ppm. Ethylene oxide induced chromosomal aberrations in both somatic as well as in germ cells of mice.In the single treatment the response observed for germ cells was not equivalent to that observed for somatic cells. In the latter there was a greater sensibility for bone marrow cells. With multiple treatment the effects on the chromosomes were equivalent in somatic and in germ cells.

Natural Killer Activity in a Medium‐term Multi‐organ Bioassay for Carcinogenesis

Natural killer (NK) cell activity was evaluated after the initiation and promotion steps in a medium‐term multi‐organ bioassay for carcinogenesis. NK cell activity was assessed in vitro by Cr51 release assay at the 4th and 30th weeks of the experiment. Male Wistar rats were sequentially initiated with N‐diethylnitrosamine (DEN i.p.), N‐butyl‐N‐(4‐hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN drinking water), N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea (MNU i.p.), dihydroxy‐di‐N‐propylnitrosamine (DHPN drinking water) and N, N′‐dimethylhydrazine (DMH s.c.) at subcarcinogenic doses for 4 weeks (DMBDD initiation). One group was evaluated at the 4th week and the other was maintained without any further treatment until the 30th week. Two initiated groups were exposed through the diet to 2‐acetylaminofluorene (2‐AAF) or phenobarbital (PB), from the 6th until the 30th week. Five additional groups were studied to evaluate the effects of each initiator on NK activity. All groups submitted to initiation only, initiation plus promotion, or promotion only, developed significantly more preneoplastic lesions than the untreated control group. The main target organs for tumor development in the initiated animals were the liver and the colon, irrespective of treatment with 2‐AAF or PB. NK cell activity was not affected by exposure to genotoxic carcinogens after initiation, at the 4th week. Treatments only with PB or 2‐AAF did not change NK cell activity. However, decreased NK cell activity was registered in the group only initiated with DMBDD and in the group given DMBDD+2‐AAF. This late depression of NK cell activity at the 30th week could be related to the production of suppressing molecules by the tumor cells.

Relationship between head and neck cancer therapy and some genetic endpoints

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common human malignancy worldwide. The main forms of treatment for HNC are surgery, radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT). However, the choice of therapy depends on the tumor staging and approaches, which are aimed at organ preservation. Because of systemic RT and CT genotoxicity, one of the important side effects is a secondary cancer that can result from the activity of radiation and antineoplastic drugs on healthy cells. Ionizing radiation can affect the DNA, causing single and double-strand breaks, DNA-protein crosslinks and oxidative damage. The severity of radiotoxicity can be directly associated with the radiation dosimetry and the dose-volume differences. Regarding CT, cisplatin is still the standard protocol for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma, the most common cancer located in the oral cavity. However, simultaneous treatment with cisplatin, bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil or treatment with paclitaxel and cisplatin are also used. These drugs can interact with the DNA, causing DNA crosslinks, double and single-strand breaks and changes in gene expression. Currently, the late effects of therapy have become a recurring problem, mainly due to the increased survival of HNC patients. Herein, we present an update of the systemic activity of RT and CT for HNC, with a focus on their toxicogenetic and toxicogenomic effects.

Fluoride does not induce DNA breakage in Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro.

Fluoride has been widely used in dentistry because it is a specific and effective caries prophylactic agent. However, excess fluoride may represent a hazard to human health, especially by causing injury to genetic material. Genotoxicity tests represent an important part of cancer research to assess the risk of potential carcinogens. In the current study, the potential DNA damage associated with exposure to fluoride was assessed by the single cell gel (comet) assay in vitro. Chinese hamster ovary cells were exposed to sodium fluoride (NaF) at final concentration ranging from 7 to 100 micro/ml for 3 h, at 37 dgrees C. The results pointed out that NaF in all concentrations tested did not contribute to DNA damage as depicted by the mean tail moment and tail intensity. These findings are clinically important since they represent an important contribution to a correct evaluation of the potential health risk associated with the exposure to dental agents.

No relationship between the amount of DNA damage and the level of hMLH1 and RASSF1A gene expression in bladder cancer cells treated with cisplatin and gemcitabine.

Tumor response to antineoplastic drugs is not always predictable. This is also true for bladder carcinoma, a highly recurrent neoplasia. Currently, the combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine is well accepted as a standard protocol for treating bladder carcinoma. However, in some cases, this treatment protocol causes harmful side effects. Therefore, we investigated the roles of the genes TP53, RASSF1A (a tumor suppressor gene) and hMLH1 (a gene involved in the mismatch repair pathway) in cell susceptibility to cisplatin/gemcitabine treatment. Two bladder transitional carcinoma cell (TCC) lines, RT4 (wild-type TP53) and 5637 (mutated TP53), were used in this study. First, we evaluated whether the genotoxic potential of cisplatin/gemcitabine was dependent on TP53 status. Then, we evaluated whether the two antineoplastic drugs modulated RASSF1A and hMLH1 expression in the two cell lines. Increased DNA damage was observed in both cell lines after treatment with cisplatin or gemcitabine and with the two drugs simultaneously, as depicted by the comet assay. A lack of RASSF1A expression and hypermethylation of its promoter were observed before and after treatment in both cell lines. On the other hand, hMLH1 downregulation, unrelated to methylation status, was observed in RT4 cells after treatment with cisplatin or with cisplatin and gemcitabine simultaneously (wild-type TP53); in 5637 cells, hMLH1 was upregulated only after treatment with gemcitabine. In conclusion, the three treatment protocols were genotoxic, independent of TP53 status. However, cisplatin was the most effective, causing the highest level of DNA damage in both wild-type and mutated TP53 cells. Gemcitabine was the least genotoxic agent in both cell lines. Furthermore, no relationship was observed between the amount of DNA damage and the level of hMLH1 and RASSF1A expression. Therefore, other alternative pathways might be involved in cisplatin and gemcitabine genotoxicity in these two bladder cancer cell lines.

Cell adhesion and growth on surfaces modified by plasma and ion implantation

In this study, we show and discuss the results of the interaction of living CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells, in terms of adhesion and growth on glass, SU-8 (epoxi photoresist), PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and DLC (hydrogen free diamond-like carbon) surfaces. Glass, SU-8, and DLC but not PDMS showed to be good surfaces for cell growth. DLC surfaces were treated by oxygen plasma (DLC-O) and sulfur hexafluoride plasma (DLC-F). After 24 h of cell culture, the number of cells on DLC-O was higher than on DLC-F surface. SU-8 with silver implanted, creating nanoparticles 12 nm below the surface, increased significantly the number of cells per unit area.

Ausência de efeito genotóxico induzido por esteróides anabolizantes em indivíduos fisiculturistas

Anabolic steroids have been used in order to increase muscular mass and to improve the performance in sporting competitions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genotoxic effect of anabolic steroids in bodybuilders, using the comet assay that is able to detect primary DNA damage. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 63 volunteers: 23 bodybuilders and anabolic steroids-users; 20 bodybuilders-non-steroids users; and 20 sedentary individuals, who did not practice any physical exercise (control group). The used anabolic steroids included: stanozolol, nandrolone decanoate, testosterone cypionate, oxymetholone and a combination of testosterone decanoate, testosterone phenylpropianate, testosterone isocaproate and testosterone propianate. The results showed no statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in the level of DNA damage (tail moment) among the groups. In conclusion, these results suggest that the anabolic steroids, as well as resistance training (bodybuilding) did not induce increase of DNA damage in peripheral blood leukocytes.