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Mutagenesis Advance Access published online on February 4, 2008
Mutagenesis, doi:10.1093/mutage/gen003
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

The use of the comet assay in the study of human nutrition and cancer

Gillian R. Wasson*, Valerie J. McKelvey-Martin and C. Stephen Downes

Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, USA

The influence of diet on carcinogenesis is a hugely complex area; not only is the consumption of major dietary factors such as meat, fat and fruits and vegetables associated with increased or decreased risk of a range of cancers but also an increasing number of specific nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals are being proposed as the next ‘superfoods’ to combat the development of cancer. As well as epidemiological studies to determine the association of these dietary factors with cancer risk, it is also essential to investigate the underlying mechanisms through which these factors may causally influence carcinogenesis. The comet assay provides a relatively simple, cheap and rapid method to examine DNA damage and repair and is, therefore, an ideal biomarker for the study of the effects of nutrition on cancer. This review focuses on the use of the comet assay in studies involving human subjects or human cell lines, which investigate the effects of various nutrients on biomarkers relevant to carcinogenesis, and discusses the potential of the comet assay and its various modifications for use as cancer-related biomarkers suitable for use in nutritional studies.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +44 2870323282; Fax: +44 2870324375; Email address: gr.wasson{at}ulster.ac.uk

Received on October 15, 2007; revised on November 23, 2007; accepted on November 23, 2007.


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