Korean J Nutr.  2003 Oct;36(8):851-858.

Effects of Smoking and Age on SCE Frequency Reflecting DNA Damage of Human Lymphocytes in Elderly Koreans

• Lee JH
• Kang MH

Abstract

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) has recently become a common cytogenic assay system for detecting exposure to chemical mutagens and carcinogens. One application of SCE is the monitoring of populations believed to have been exposed to such agents. A cross-sectional study of SCE frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 45 Koreans aged 61 to 84 years was conducted. The effect of cigarette smoking and age on SCE was assessed by different degrees of smoking status such as smokers (n = 14), ex-smokers (n = 16) and non-smokers (n = 15). Mean spontaneous SCE per cell for the smokers (11.5 +/- 1.1) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that for the non-smokers (8.8 +/- 0.3). However, mean SCE frequencies per cell for the ex-smokers (10.3 +/- 0.6) were not significantly different from those of the smokers or the non-smokers. The smokers showed an increased number of high SCE frequency cells (HFCs) when compared to the ex-smokers and non-smokers (p < 0.05). The mean SCE frequencies of the non-smokers showed a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) with the subject's age. These results show that age and smoking habits contribute a great deal in setting a higher degree of basal DNA damage in elderly Koreans, and smoking appeared to be a more significant damaging factor than age.

Keyword

SCE frequency; DNA damage; elderly; smokers; lymphocyte; high SCE Frequency cell (HFC)

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Carcinogens
Cross-Sectional Studies
DNA Damage*
DNA*
Humans*
Lymphocytes*
Mutagens
Sister Chromatid Exchange
Smoke*
Smoking*
Carcinogens
DNA
Mutagens
Smoke