The association between micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridges, and nuclear buds frequency and the degree of uterine cervical lesions

Abstract

Background and aim: The loss of genomic stability plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Therefore, it is imperative to use certain biomarkers of DNA damage due to genomic instability in order to predict cancer risk. The aim of this study was the evaluation of genomic instability in patients with cervical lesions.

Materials and methods: We investigated the genetic damages in 80 subjects: 40 patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), 20 patients with invasive squamous cervical cancer (SCC) and 20 healthy women with a biomarker in two different tissues; the micronucleus (MN) test in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), and in buccal exfoliated cells (BEC). This study also examined the frequency of other nuclear anomalies such as nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) and nuclear bunds (NBUDs) in PBL.

Results: The frequency of MN in BEC, MN in PBL, NPB in PBL and NBUD in PBL were significantly higher (p < 0.001), in patients compared to controls. The DNA damages in BEC and PBL were correlated positively with histological grade of cervical lesions.

Conclusion: Although larger studies are needed, our data support the predictive value of MN, NPB and NBUD as biomarkers of genomic instability for evaluation of risk level of cancer diseases.

Keywords:

• Micronucleus
• genome instability
• cancer risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Republic of Kosovo for financial support (the project 7043-20.10.2014) and Department of Biology, University of Prishtina, for their technical assistance.