Molecular Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany.
ALTEX. 2011;28(4):295-303. doi: 10.14573/altex.2011.4.295.
Genotoxicity tests are essential to identify compounds that have a potential to compromise not only the environment but also human and animal health, including compounds that increase the risk of cancer. At present, no single test is capable of detecting all types of genotoxic effects; therefore a battery of in vitro and, if positive, in vivo tests is necessary to determine the genotoxicity of a substance. However, the respective specificities of current assays have been criticized for their high percentage of false positive results. We recently published an automated version of the "Fluorimetric detection of Alkaline DNA Unwinding" (FADU) assay for measuring DNA strand breaks in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or in cell lines. Using this new technology we show detection of DNA strand breaks in cells treated with several compounds known to induce DNA strand breaks by various mechanisms. We also tested toxic compounds that were not expected to induce DNA strand breaks; these were negative in the assay as expected. Finally, we included zinc oxide nanoparticles of high production volume to explore further fields of potential FADU applications. The main advantages of this assay are high reproducibility, easy handling, lack of operator bias, high-throughput, speed, and low cost.
致瘤性测试对于识别那些不仅对环境、而且对人类和动物健康具有潜在危害的化合物（包括增加癌症风险的化合物）是至关重要的。目前，没有单一的测试能够检测出所有类型的致瘤效应；因此，需要使用一系列体外和（如果阳性）体内测试来确定物质的致瘤性。然而，目前的检测方法的各自特异性因其高假阳性率而受到批评。我们最近发表了一种自动版的“碱性 DNA 解旋的荧光检测”（FADU） assay，用于测量人外周血单核细胞或细胞系中的 DNA 链断裂。使用这项新技术，我们显示出在经几种已知通过各种机制诱导 DNA 链断裂的化合物处理的细胞中检测到 DNA 链断裂。我们还测试了预计不会诱导 DNA 链断裂的毒性化合物；按照预期，这些化合物在检测中呈阴性。最后，我们包括了高产量的氧化锌纳米颗粒，以探索 FADU 应用的潜在领域。该检测方法的主要优点是重现性高、操作简单、没有操作人员的偏差、高通量、速度快、成本低。
