Assessment of DNA damage in pulmonary tuberculosis patients by single cell gel electrophoresis / comet assay

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Year 2012 Vol 1 Issue 3
Document Type : original article
¹ A. S. Ushananthini1 ², A. Murugan2 ³ , R. Saravanan3
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Abstract
The role of antitubercular drugs as anti bacterial agents on mycobacterium tuberculi is established. However their impact on human cell is not much explored.
: The present study was aimed to determine the extent of cell damage in Pulmonary Tuberculosis patients with the help of comet assay. This is a prospective study carried out in Tiruchengodu Govt. Hospital from September 2011 to April 2012. Blood samples were collected from 100 subjects [Healthy volunteers (Go), newly diagnosed TB patients (G1), Three months treated TB patients (G2), Six months treated TB patients (G3). n=25 subjects in each group].
Blood samples from anticubital vein were collected, embedded in agarose gel, lysed in high ionic strength solution with Triton X-100, and then electrophoresed at pH>13, ethidium bromide stained were then subjected to analysis under Fluorescent microscope
Subjects of newly diagnosed TB (G1) patients did not show any remarkable cell damage as compared to TB patients under treatment. Extent of cell damage in six months treated TB patients (G3) was greater than three months treated TB patients (G2) (P<0.0001). Among quantitative comet metrics, comet length was significantly greater in males compared with females (P= <0.0003). Extent of cell damage was observed significantly high in anti-tubercular drug treatment patients both three months treated and six months treated TB patients. Conclusion: DNA damage was found to be significantly increased in smoking & alcoholic tuberculosis patients. Anti-tubercular drug and social habits seem to be the major contributor of the cell damage.
Keywords
Tuberculosis, Anti-tubercular drugs, Comet assay, Comet length, Tail length
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