Micronucleus Frequency in Buccal Cells of Males Exposed to Air Pollution in Kufa City

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to explore micronuclei recurrence, as a biomarker of genomic damage in buccal cells of individuals living in polluted areas located near to the cement factory in Kufa city. Twenty four apparently healthy males residing in Kufa are enrolled in the present study, their ages between 18-30 years, as control group 24 males with same age are enrolled liv-ing in the center of Najaf city a far from cement factory. A sample of the exposed and control groups of buccal mucosa cells was collected during Spring months in 2016. The mean count of cell with micronuclei in buccal cells of the exposed group and control were (22.33 ± 0.97; 11.583 ± 0.85) respectively, the mean count of the binucleated cells of the exposed and control groups were (7.208 ± 0.71, 10.041 ± 0.84) respectively, a significant difference was detected in the ob-served frequencies of micronuclei and binnucleated cells in the buccal mucosa cells between the exposed and control group. The results indicated that exposure to air pollutants related to cement production induce cytotoxic as well as genotoxic damage in buccal mucosa cells