ASSESSMENT OF SMOKE INDUCED GENOTOXICITY IN SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS

Objective: To investigate the genotoxic effect of cigarette smoking in Sprague Dawley rats. Study Design: Randomized experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at Army Medical College Rawalpindi, from Jan 2013 to Jul 2013. Material and Methods: Seventy healthy Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups at National Institute of Health (NIH). Group-I rats were not exposed while Group-II rats were exposed to cigarette smoke for 3 months. Cytokinesis Block Micronucleus Assay (CBMN) was done to determine genotoxicity. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using independent sample t-test. Results: The mean frequency of micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes of control and smoker groups was 3.06 ± 0.639 and 6.77 ± 0.731 respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: The mean micronuclei frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the smoke exposed rats was higher than that of the control rats however the difference was not significant.