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Micronucleus Yield and Colorimetric Test as Indicators of Damage in Patients' Lymphocytes After¹³I Therapy

Ambiente-Protezione-Tossicologia, Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente Centra Ricerche Casaccia, Rome
Occupational Medicine Service, National Laboratory of Frascati, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Rome
Italian Medical Radiation Protection, Rome
Nuclear Medicine Service, Department of Clinic Sciences, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Carlo Catena, MD, Ambiente-Protezione-Tossicologia, Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente Centra Ricerche Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, I-00060 Rome, Italy.

ABSTRACT

To estimate the absorbed dose received by patients who underwent ¹³¹I therapy, a modified compartmental model of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) was used. The activity in plasma and micronucleus (MN) frequency (MN test) were measured before and after therapy. To evaluate whether a correlation exists between lymphocytes and absorbed dose, a colorimetric test, based on the tetrazolium salt 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT test), was used. Methods: Twenty patients who underwent ¹³¹I therapy were studied. Activity was measured in plasma, and isolated lymphocytes were collected to perform the MN and MTT tests. Results: The mean MN frequency observed in unexposed patient lymphocytes was comparable with that of healthy subjects. ¹³¹I therapy induces a small increase in MN, and a good correlation with the bone marrow absorbed dose was obtained (P = 0.040). A consistent decrease in phytostimulation observed after therapy (MTT test) correlated significantly with bone marrow absorbed dose (P = 0.0085). Conclusion: The MTT test appears to be more reliable than the MN test for evaluating lymphocyte damage induced by ¹³¹I therapy.

Key Words: ¹³¹I therapy • micronucleus test • colorimetric test • lymphocytes