Assessment of DNA damage in car spray painters exposed to organic solvents by the high-throughput comet assay

Abstract

Occupational exposure as a painter is associated with DNA damage and development of cancer. Comet assay has been widely adopted as a sensitive and quantitative tool for DNA damage assessment at the individual cell level in populations exposed to genotoxics. The aim of this study was to assess the application of the high-throughput comet assay, to determine the DNA damage in car spray painters. The study population included 52 car spray painters and 52 unexposed subjects. A significant increase in the %TDNA median (p <  0.001) was observed in the exposed group in comparison to the unexposed group. Neither age (%TDNA: p =  0.913) nor time of exposure (%TDNA: p = 0.398) were significantly correlated with DNA damage. The car spray painters who consumed alcohol did not show a significant increase in DNA damage compared to nonalcohol consumers (p  > 0.05). The results showed an increase in DNA breaks in car spray painters exposed to organic solvents and paints; furthermore, they demonstrated the application of high-throughput comet assay in an occupational exposure study to genotoxic agents.

• Biomonitoring
• car spray painters
• DNA damage
• high-throughput comet assay
• occupational exposure
• organic solvents

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support by Department of Basic Sciences of Health, Faculty of Sciences of Health, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana seccional Cali, for “spell-check” and “grammar-check” of manuscript. We also acknowledge the valuable help of biologist Luisa F Escobar Hoyos in the methodological adjustments and English editions. We are grateful to all volunteers who participated in this study, and the technologist Luz Melida Lemos Mera for her valuable collaboration in collecting the blood samples. We really appreciate the efforts of the biologists Virginia Mosquera and Jeison Perafán, for their excellent contribution in processing the blood samples.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. This research was supported by Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones Universidad del Cauca, Colombia, ID 3606, Resolución 6-90.19/02 de 2012 (16 de febrero).