Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-4-6
pubmed:abstractText
We used the micronucleus (MN) test to determine the genetic damage caused by khat, a widely consumed psychostimulant plant, in exfoliated cells of volunteers who chewed the drug on a regular basis. In the first study in which we compared the frequency of MN in buccal and bladder mucosa cells in 20 khat consumers (10-160 g/day) and 10 controls, a pronounced (8-fold) increase in micronucleated buccal mucosa cells was seen among khat consumers; khat consumption did not lead to a detectable elevation of micronucleated bladder mucosa cells. Among heavy khat chewers, 81% of the MN had a centromere signal indicating that khat is aneuploidogenic. To investigate the effect of simultaneous consumption of tobacco and alcoholic beverages, we compared the MN frequency in buccal cells of 25 khat consumers (20-85 g/day) who smoked cigarettes (15-60/day) and drank alcoholic beverages (15-80 g of pure ethanol/day) with a control group (control group I) of 25 individuals matched for age, body weight, tobacco and alcohol consumption and with another control group of 25 individuals (control group II) not consuming any of the drugs. The frequency of buccal mucosa cells with MN was higher in control group I than in group II and the effect of khat, tobacco and alcohol was found to be additive. A time-kinetics study on khat-induced MN showed that the highest frequency of MN was observed during the fourth week after consumption. In light of the large body of evidence on the close association between genetic damage and cancer, these results suggest that khat consumption, especially when accompanied by alcohol and tobacco consumption, might be a potential cause of oral malignancy.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0020-7136
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
92
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
329-32
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-7-24
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Khat (Catha edulis) consumption causes genotoxic effects in humans.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute of Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't