STUDY OF MICRONUCLEI OF PERIPHERAL LEUCOCYTES IN KHARRAH, GUTKHA, PANMASALA CHEWERS AND TOBACCO PRODUCT USER OF VIDARBHA REGION OF CENTRAL INDIA.

Walulkar S. M., Walulkar M. S. and Paikrao V. M.*

ABSTRACT

Background: Tobacco and its product have accepted as important etiologic agents in oral cancer. Tobacco usage in any form is associated with etiology of many disease for many decades and any approach aimed at detection of population sub-group at increased risk should be considered a high priority task. The peripheral blood cells were known to exhibit changes in cancer of various organs. Aim & Objectives: To quantify the micronuclei in peripheral blood leukocytes of Gutkha Panmasala Chewers and Tobacco product user of Vidarbha region of central India. Materials & Method: Healthy tobacco chewers (n= 60) and healthy non-chewers as controls (n=60) with 30-50 years were selected. A thin blood smears were prepared. Slides were air-dried for 30 min followed by fixation using cold 3:1 methanol and acetic acid solution for 10-15 minutes, washed twice in PBS (phosphate buffer solution) and stained immediately in 5% Geimsa solution and dried on a hot plate for 5 minutes and observed under microscope. A minimum of 1000 cells from each individual was screened for calculating frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC). The identification of micronucleus was based on the criteria proposed by Sarto et al.[20] Result: Mean age of participants were 42.45± 7.47(SD). The leucocytes stained with Gimsa stain, and then the each slide was observed under Olympus® BX 21 microscope. The micronucleus frequency per 1000 observed cells in Addicted participants is found to be 38.13±5.59 SD whereas in 15.67±2.73 (SD) in Healthy Participants, The z-score is found to be 27.96 which is significant at p≤.0.001. Conclusion: Micronuclei test is most primitive and simple indicator for genotoxicity damage than chromosomal aberration and statistically there is increased micronuclei frequency in the grossly normal appearing oral mucosa of high risk tobacco chewers subjects.

Keywords: Gutkha Panmasala, genotoxicity, micronucleated.