摘要：The cytological diagnose of exfoliative epithelia has been increasingly used
during the last years in biomonitoring human populations exposed to genotoxic
agents. Material and methods. While
peripheral blood lymphocytes are the tissues most frequently studied to assess
cytogenetic damage in humans, in some cases, epithelial tissues may be better
models than lymphocytes. Results and
discussion. Epithelia are frequently the actual targets of carcinogens, as
indicated by the sites of cancers related to exposure. Moreover, exfoliated
epithelial cells from the mouth, nose, and bladder can be easily collected for
large scale biomonitoring. In the last few years, increasing number of studies,
also use other types of epithelia including bronchial, esophageal, intestinal,
cervical, and breast duct. Micronuclei (MN) are formed as a result of chromosome
damage and can be readily identified in exfoliated epithelial cells. Several
methodological issues have to be considered to assure high quality results:
timing of cell collection, sufficient number of cells scored, differentiation of
normal and degenerated cells on the slides to eliminate false-positives. Factors
of interindividual variability, including age and gender differences, are
important aspects in the design of biomarker studies using MN assay. Conclusions. Broad spectrum of
environmental factors is associated with increased level of MN in epithelial
cells. The goal for the future is to validate predictive value of MN in the risk
of cancer and other adverse health outcomes.
关键词：micronuclei, biomarker, epithelial
cells, genotoxic agents, ocupational cancer
