Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-1-16
pubmed:abstractText
The placenta is a readily available source of material for molecular epidemiological investigations. As such, DNA damage in this tissue can be indicative of maternal exposure to environmental pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Previous reports have demonstrated that (32)P-postlabeling (PPL) is able to detect the presence of aromatic adducts in human placenta that are associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. Using PPL we have assayed the DNA damage in placental samples from Kuwaiti mothers who were exposed to environmental pollution during pregnancy. This pollution arose in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which left hundreds of oil wells burning. For comparison, further Kuwaiti samples were obtained approximately 1 year after the oil well fires and, as such, are from individuals unexposed to the airborne pollution from the oil well fires during pregnancy. In addition, placental samples were obtained from subjects in the United Kingdom. Adduct levels were measured in all samples using both the nuclease P1 and butanol extraction enhancement procedures. No elevation of adduct levels was observed in the placenta of mothers exposed to the oil well fires (n = 40) with either procedure (144 +/- 30 attomol/microg DNA for nuclease P1 enrichment, 245 +/- 50 attomol/microg DNA for butanol extraction), when compared with the nonexposed Kuwaiti mothers (180 +/- 32 and 281 +/- 39 attomol/microg DNA, respectively, n = 24). Similar adduct levels were observed in UK mothers who smoked cigarettes (178 +/- 30 and 284 +/- 52 attomol/microg DNA, n = 30), which in turn were approximately twice those observed in nonsmoking mothers (90 +/- 14 and 141 +/- 15 attomol/microg DNA, n = 12), although there is no significant difference in the distribution of adduct levels when statistical analysis is performed. Comprehensive interpretation of the Kuwaiti data is difficult as precise information on PAH levels is unavailable, although the data do seem to indicate that exposure to PAHs was not biologically significant.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0893-6692
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
36
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
274-82
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
Biomonitoring the human population exposed to pollution from the oil fires in Kuwait: analysis of placental tissue using (32)P-postlabeling.
pubmed:affiliation
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, United Kingdom.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports