The effects of sex, age and cigarette smoking on micronucleus and degenerative nuclear alteration frequencies in human buccal cells of healthy Bosnian subjects

Introduction: This study was performed to establish a baseline value of micronucleus frequency in buccal cells and to estimate the impact of the most common factors (sex and age, and smoking) on micronucleus and degenerative nuclear alteration frequencies in the sample of healthy Bosnian subjects.Methods: The Buccal Micronucleus Cytome (BMCyt) assay, based on scoring not only micronucleus frequency but also other genome damage markers, dead or degenerated cells, provides a measure of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects.Results: Our results showed the baseline buccal micronucleus frequency was 0.135% or 1.35‰, as well as positive correlations between micronucleus frequencies and formations of degenerative nuclear alterations (nuclear buds, karyolytic and karyorrhectic cells). The number of micronuclei in buccal cells was significantly higher in females than in males. There was positive association between the age and frequency of analysed cytogenetic biomarkers. Buccal cell micronuclei and degenerative nuclear alternations were more frequent among cigarette smokers than non-smokers and significantly higher in female smokers than in male smokers. Cytogenetic damages showed significantly positive correlation between intensity of smoking and the number of nuclear alterations. The years of smoking had a significant influence not only on the number of nuclear alterations but also in micronuclei and nuclear buds in buccal cells.Conclusions: The sex influences the number of micronuclei in human buccal cells. The ageing increased the number of micronuclei and other biomarkers of DNA damage. The cigarette smoking significantly increases the frequencies of micronuclei and nuclear buds, pyknotic, karyolytic and karyorrhectic cells.