Ag-NOR staining and satellite association in bone marrow cells from patients with mycosis fungoides

Acute Cytogenetic Effects of Antineoplastic Drugs on Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Cancer Patients Chromosome Aberrations and Micronuclei

Aims and Background

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the individual sensitivity of cancer patients to different antineoplastic drugs administered in standard protocols by assessing their acute cytogenetic effects on peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Methods and Study Design

In 12 patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, acute cytogenetic effects on peripheral blood lymphocytes were evaluated by analysis of structural chromosome aberrations and micronuclei. All patients were given antineoplastic drugs, mainly as polychemotherapy. The frequencies of both cytogenetic biomarkers determined after the first chemotherapy cycle were compared with their pre-treatment (baseline) values.

Results

All chemotherapy protocols employed induced clear cytogenetic effects in both tests studied. The results obtained indicate interindividual variations between cytogenetic damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes among cancer patients. Statistically significant increases in the total number of structural chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in lymphocytes analyzed after chemotherapy compared to pre-therapy samples were observed in almost all patients studied. The highest level of chromosome damage as well as the highest incidence of micronuclei was observed following administration of the ACOP protocol (adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and vincristine). The proportions of signal-positive and signal-negative micronuclei were evaluated using DAPI staining, while silver staining revealed Ag-NOR+ and Ag-NOR− micronuclei. In some patients the incidence of signal-positive and Ag-NOR+ micronuclei after treatment was increased, indicating a more pronounced susceptibility of particular chromosomes to damage caused by antineoplastic drugs.

Conclusions

With regard to the results obtained we may conclude that both parameters used in the present study on peripheral lymphocytes are sensitive biomarkers and can be successfully employed for biomonitoring of acute cytogenetic effects induced by antineoplastic drugs in standard clinical protocols for cancer treatment.

Age related decrease of NOR activity in bone marrow metaphase chromosomes from healthy individuals

AIMS

To present data obtained from human bone marrow preparations from healthy individual showing that the proportion of metaphases with silver stained nucleolar organiser region (AgNOR) chromosomes is associated with the age of the donor.

METHODS

Bone marrow preparations from eight Russian and 10 Argentinian healthy individuals donating bone marrow for heterologous transplantation were studied by silver staining. The Russian bone marrow preparations were used directly, while the bone marrow specimens from Argentinian donors were incubated for 24 hours at 37 degrees C in F-10 medium with 15% fetal bovine serum. The slides were silver stained by the one step method of Howell and Black with slight modifications. Thirty metaphases with clearly defined D and G group chromosomes were scored for the numbers of AgNORs. All metaphases that were adjacent to silver stained interphase nuclei were analysed to assess the percentage of AgNOR positive mitoses. The Kruskal Wallis test and Kendall's rank correlation coefficient (rK) were used to assess the relation between age and the percentage of AgNOR positive cells.

RESULTS

The mean numbers (SE) of AgNORs per metaphase were 5.06 (0.17) and 5.56 (0.23) for the Russian and Argentinian groups, respectively, with no significant differences between the two groups. The common percentage of AgNOR positive cells decreased significantly as a function of age, with an rK = -0.57 (p < 0.0012).

CONCLUSIONS

The percentages of AgNOR negative metaphases in bone marrow from healthy individuals is strongly associated with age and this may be related to age related telomere loss.