Skip Navigation


Mutagenesis Advance Access first published online on November 9, 2005
This version published online on November 15, 2005
Mutagenesis, doi:10.1093/mutage/gei064
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
20/6/455    most recent
gei064v2
gei064v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hoffmann, H.
Right arrow Articles by Speit, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hoffmann, H.
Right arrow Articles by Speit, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 10, 2005
Revised October 17, 2005
Accepted October 17, 2005

Original article

The effect of smoking on DNA effects in the comet assay: a meta-analysis

Heike Hoffmann 1, Josef Högel 1, and Günter Speit 1 *

1 Universität Ulm, Abteilung Humangenetik, Ulm, Germany

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Günter Speit, E-mail: guenter.speit{at}uni-ulm.de


  Abstract

The comet assay (alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis, SCG or SCGE) is frequently used in biomonitoring to detect genotoxic effects in humans exposed at the workplace or in their environment. Because of its ready accessibility, blood is most frequently used in such studies. Many studies investigated cigarette smoking either as a genotoxic exposure itself or as a potential confounding factor in occupational studies. However, although smoking is considered to be a relevant exposure towards various genotoxins, conflicting results have been reported in the comet assay studies. The actual reasons for this discrepancy are not known. To further evaluate evidence for smoking-related DNA effects in the comet assay, we now used a meta-analysis approach based on a literature search. We identified 38 studies from 37 publications which were suited for a formal meta-analysis based on the standardized mean difference (SMD) between the study groups. The evaluation of these 38 studies indicated higher levels of DNA damage in smokers than in non-smokers [under a random effects model, SMD = 0.55, 95% confidence interval = (0.16-0.93)]. Subdividing these studies into studies investigating the effect of smoking as a genotoxic exposure (Type A studies, n = 12) and studies investigating smoking as a potential confounder in occupational studies (Type B, n = 26) indicated a significant difference only in Type A studies but not in Type B studies. Furthermore, studies using image analysis or image length measurements (n = 23) only indicated a tendency for a genotoxic effect of smoking, whereas studies using an arbitrary score (n = 15) found a significantly higher level of DNA damage in smokers.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 MutagenesisHome page
Y. Lu and K. Morimoto
Exposure level to cigarette tar or nicotine is associated with leukocyte DNA damage in male Japanese smokers
Mutagenesis, November 1, 2008; 23(6): 451 - 455.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 MutagenesisHome page
J. M. Battershill, K. Burnett, and S. Bull
Factors affecting the incidence of genotoxicity biomarkers in peripheral blood lymphocytes: impact on design of biomonitoring studies
Mutagenesis, November 1, 2008; 23(6): 423 - 437.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 MutagenesisHome page
M. Dusinska and A. R. Collins
The comet assay in human biomonitoring: gene-environment interactions
Mutagenesis, May 1, 2008; 23(3): 191 - 205.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.Home page
B. Pesch, M. Kappler, K. Straif, B. Marczynski, R. Preuss, B. Rossbach, H.-P. Rihs, T. Weiss, S. Rabstein, C. Pierl, et al.
Dose-Response Modeling of Occupational Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., September 1, 2007; 16(9): 1863 - 1873.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum Exp ToxicolHome page
R. Naravaneni and K. Jamil
Determination of AChE levels and genotoxic effects in farmers occupationally exposed to pesticides
Human and Experimental Toxicology, September 1, 2007; 26(9): 723 - 731.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol Ind HealthHome page
G. A Mishra
The effect of tobacco consumption on blood cholinesterase levels among workers exposed to organophosphorus pesticides
Toxicology and Industrial Health, October 1, 2006; 22(9): 399 - 403.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 MutagenesisHome page
D. Varga, J. Hoegel, C. Maier, S. Jainta, M. Hoehne, B. Patino-Garcia, I. Michel, U. Schwarz-Boeger, M. Kiechle, R. Kreienberg, et al.
On the difference of micronucleus frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes between breast cancer patients and controls
Mutagenesis, September 1, 2006; 21(5): 313 - 320.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.