Abstract

Maize seedlings of the genotype A1A2C1Wx were fumigated in growth chambers with hydrogen fluoride (HF) at a concentration of about 3 ug/m3. The experiment was run for 1O days, with the first group of treated plants removed from the chambers after 4 days and then at intervals of 2 days. Microsporocyte smears from the treated plants revealed chromosomal aberations that included asynaptic regions, translocations, inversions; and bridges plus fragments or fragments by themselves. It is believed that these abnormalities were due to the physiological effect of HF causing the chromosomes to become sticky and/or to the occurrence of chromatid breakage followed by reunion to form structural changes. These findings indicate that HF is a mutagenic agent.

• Related Studies :

  • The effect of fluorine and lead ions on the chromosomes of human leucocytes in vitro

    Human leukocytes in the cultures in vitro were exposed to the action of Pb and F ions at the concentrations of 10-3 M and 10-5 M for Pb and 3.15 x 10-3 M, 3.15 x 10-4 M, 3.15 x 10-5 M for F. Both factors caused structural and quantitative aberrations

  • DNA damage, apoptosis and cell cycle changes induced by fluoride in rat oral mucosal cells and hepatocytes

    AIM:  To study the effect of fluoride on oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis as well as cell cycle of rat oral mucosal cells and hepatocytes. METHODS:  Ten male SD rats weighing 80-120 g were randomly divided into control group and fluoride group, 5 animals each group. The animals in

  • Lack of DNA damage induced by fluoride on mouse lymphoma and human fibroblast cells by single cell gel (comet) assay

    Fluoride has widely been used in Dentistry because it is a specific and effective caries prophylactic agent. However, excess fluoride may represent a hazard to human health, especially by causing injury on genetic apparatus. Genotoxicity tests constitute an important part of cancer research for risk assessment of potential carcinogens. In

  • A possible mechanism for combined arsenic and fluoride induced cellular and DNA damage in mice

    Arsenic and fluoride are major contaminants of drinking water. Mechanisms of toxicity following individual exposure to arsenic or fluoride are well known. However, it is not explicit how combined exposure to arsenic and fluoride leads to cellular and/or DNA damage. The present study was planned to assess (i) oxidative stress

  • Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride

    Excerpts: INTRODUCTION Fluoridation of drinking water has been a subject of controversy for decades. Over the past 50 years, the incidence of dental caries (cavities) has declined considerably in the United States, an important health advance that most scientists attribute principally to increased access to fluoridated water and dental products. According to

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride/Osteosarcoma Link Is Biologically Plausible

    The "biological plausiblility" of a fluoride-osteosarcoma link is widely acknowledged in the scientific literature. The biological plausibility centers around three facts: 1) Bone is the principal site of fluoride accumulation, particularly during the growth spurts of childhood; 2) Fluoride is a mutagen when present at sufficient concentrations, and 3) Fluoride can stimulate the proliferation of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells).

  • Fluoride's Mutagenicity: In vitro Studies

    According to the National Toxicology Program, "the preponderance of evidence" from laboratory "in vitro" studies indicate that fluoride is a mutagenic compound. Many substances which are mutagens, are also carcinogens (i.e. they can cause cancer). As is typical for in vitro studies, the concentrations of fluoride that have generally been tested

  • Fluoride's Mutagenicity: In vivo Studies

    Consistent with dozens of in vitro studies, a number of in vivo studies, in both humans and animals, have found evidence of fluoride-induced genetic damage. In particular, research on humans exposed to high levels of fluoride have found increased levels of "sister chromatid exchange" (SCE). As noted in one study: "In

  • Micronucleus and Sister Chromatid Exchange Frequency in Endemic Fluorosis

    The rise of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of the fluorine-intoxicated patients indicates that fluorine is a mutagenic agent which can cause DNA and chromosomal damage.

  • Fluoride & Osteosarcoma: A Timeline

    Several human epidemiological studies have found an association between fluoride in drinking water and the occurrence of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in young males. These studies are consistent with the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) cancer bioassay which found that fluoride-treated male rats had an dose-dependent increase in osteosarcoma. Although a number of studies have failed to detect an association between fluoride and osteosarcoma, none of these studies have measured the risk of fluoride at specific windows in time, which based on recent results, is the critical question with respect to fluoride and osteosarcoma.