Investigating genetic damage of workers occupationally exposed to methotrexate / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study genetic damage of workers alone occupationally exposed to methotrexate (MTX) with three end-points.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The blood samples from 21 workers exposed to MTX and 21 controls were detected with micronucleus test, comet assay, hprt gene mutation test and TCR gene mutation test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean micronuclei rate (MNR) and mean micronucleated cells rate (MCR) in 21 workers were 10.10 per thousand +/- 0.95 per thousand and 8.05 per thousand +/- 0.75 per thousand, respectively, which were significantly higher than those (5.48 per thousand +/- 0.82 per thousand and 4.38 per thousand +/- 0.58 per thousand) in control (P < 0.01). The mean tail length (MTL) of 21 workers and 21 controls were (1.30 +/- 0.06) microm and (0.07 +/- 0.01) microm, respectively, there was significant difference between workers and controls (P < 0.01). But the difference between workers and controls for mean tail moment (MTM) was not significant (P > 0.05). The average mutation frequency (Mf-hprt) of hprt and (Mf-TCR) of TCR in workers were 1.00 per thousand +/- 0.02 per thousand and (6.87 +/- 0.52) x 10(-4), respectively, which were significantly higher than those [0.86 per thousand +/- 0.01 per thousand and (1.67 +/- 0.14) x 10(-4)] in control (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The genetic damage to some extent appeared in workers occupationally exposed to methotrexate.</p>