Interaction of nickel with UV-light in the induction of cytogenetic effects in human peripheral lymphocytes

Water mutagenic potential assessment on a semiarid aquatic ecosystem under influence of heavy metals and natural radioactivity using micronuclei test

The contamination of water bodies by heavy metals and ionizing radiation is a critical environmental issue, which can affect water quality and, thus, human health. This study aimed to evaluate the water quality of the Boqueirão de Parelhas Dam in the Brazilian semiarid region. A 1-year study (2013-2014) was performed through the assessment of physicochemical parameters, heavy metal content, and radioactivity along with the mutagenicity potential of water using micronuclei test in Orechromis niloticus (in vivo) and the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay in human lymphocytes (in vitro). A deterioration of water organoleptics characteristics by the presence of high levels of sulfate and total solids was observed. High concentrations of aluminum, nickel, silver, and lead along with the alpha particle content were higher than the limits suggested by the World Health Organization and Brazilian legislation for drinking water. An increase in the frequency of micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities was observed in both experimental models. The results obtained confirmed the mutagenic potential present in water samples. This study highlights that geogenic agents affect water quality becoming a human health concern to be taken into account due to the relevance that this water reservoir has in the region.

DNA damage and oxidative stress in human B lymphoblastoid cells after combined exposure to hexavalent chromium and nickel compounds

In the present study, human B lymphoblastoid cells were exposed to potassium dichromate and/or nickel chloride for 24h or 48h. The cell viability and DNA damage induced by these compounds was measured with the CCK-8 assay and Comet assay, respectively. In addition, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured using commercially available kits. Our results indicated that potassium dichromate could decrease cell viability and induce DNA damage in human B lymphoblastoid cells in a time - and concentration - dependent manner, but the toxicity of nickel chloride was not so obvious at concentrations used in our study. The results of ROS showed that both two compounds could only induce weak elevation of ROS level, but MDA levels were significantly enhanced. Antagonistic effects of cytotoxicity were mainly found between Cr (VI) and Ni (II), and synergistic effects of DNA damage and oxidative stress were partially found between these two compounds. Moreover, there were good correlations between the results of comet assay and the results of oxidative stress assays. It is suggested that synergistic DNA damage induced by simultaneously exposure of hexavalent chromium and nickel compounds is possibly related to oxidative stress.

DNA-damage induction by eight metal compounds in TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells: results obtained with the alkaline Comet assay

Metal compounds are long-lived and can react with different macromolecules, producing a wide range of biological effects, including DNA damage. Since their reactivity is associated with their chemical structure, it is important to obtain information on more than one compound from the same metal. In this study, the DNA-damaging potential of two mercury compounds (mercury chloride and methyl mercury chloride), two nickel compounds (nickel chloride and potassium hexafluoronickelate), two palladium compounds (ammonium tetrachloropalladate and ammonium hexachloropalladate), and two tellurium compounds (sodium tellurite and sodium tellurate) was evaluated in human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells by use of the alkaline version of the Comet assay. As the use of computerized image-analysis systems to collect comet data has increased, the metric used for quantifying DNA damage was the Olive tail moment. Treatments lasted for 3h and the range of concentrations tested was different for each metal compound, depending on its toxicity. Both mercury agents produced DNA damage in TK6 cells, with mercury chloride producing considerably more DNA damage than methyl mercury chloride. Of the two nickel compounds, only nickel chloride (a Ni(II) compound) induced DNA breaks. Similarly, of the two palladium compounds, only the Pd(II) compound (ammonium tetrachloropalladate) was positive in the assay. Sodium tellurite was clearly positive, producing concentration-related increases in DNA damage, while sodium tellurate gave a negative response. In conclusion, the ability of inducing DNA damage by the selected metal compounds in human TK6 cells, when measured with the Comet assay, was dependent on the chemical form and, in general, compounds containing the metal in the lower valence state displayed the greater DNA-damaging ability.

Antagonistic effects of methyl-mercury and PCB153 on PC12 cells after a combined and simultaneous exposure

The study of interactions for those substances which tend to accumulate in food and affect the nervous system appears to be a fundamental point to characterize the combined exposure in vitro. In this study we included two food contaminants which are known neurotoxicants: methyl-mercury (Me-Hg) and the ortho-substituted PCB 153. PC12 cells were treated with Me-Hg (range 1e-7, 2e-6 M) and PCB153 (range 1e-5, 4e-4 M) in single and combined synchronous experiments and a mathematical model was set up according to the Loewe additivity criterion to evaluate the level of interaction between toxicants, using viability as end-point. At some concentrations (Me-Hg 5e-7 M and PCB153 1e-4 and 2e-4 M; Me-Hg 1e-6M and PCB153 5e-5 M; Me-Hg 1e-7 M and PCB153 4e-4 M), a statistically significant antagonist effect was observed. No interaction was observed for other combinations. The analysis of other toxicological parameters known to be modified in single exposure experiments (TBARS and intra-cellular dopamine) confirmed the viability results. The results of our work represent a starting point to generate novel information on the interactions between PCB153 and Me-Hg in vitro, as well as a new relevant experimental and mathematical approach useful to investigate the effects of different toxicant mixtures.

In vivo genotoxic effect of nickel chloride in mice leukocytes using comet assay

DNA damage induced by nickel chloride (NiCl2) in leucocytes of Swiss albino mice has been studied in vivo. The comet assay or the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay was used to measure the DNA damage. The mice were administered orally with acute doses of 3.4, 6.8, 13.6, 27.2, 54.4 and 108.8 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.) NiCl2. Samples of whole blood were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h, first week and second week post-treatment for alkaline SCGE assay to study single/double strand breaks in DNA. A significant increase in mean comet tail length indicating DNA damage was observed with NiCl2 at 24, 48 and 72 h post-treatment (P<0.05). A gradual decrease in the mean tail length was observed at 72 h post-treatment indicating repair of the damaged DNA. The mean tail length showed a dose-related increase and time dependent decrease after treatment with NiCl2 when compared to controls. The study also confirms that the comet assay is a sensitive and rapid method to detect DNA damage caused by heavy metals like nickel (Ni).