Mutagenesis Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Mutat Res Rev Mutat Res. 2019 Jan-Mar;779:82-113. doi: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2019.02.003. Epub 2019 Feb 16.
The comet assay, also called single cell gel electrophoresis, is a sensitive, rapid and low-cost technique for quantifying and analysing DNA damage and repair at the level of individual cells. The assay itself can be applied on virtually any cell type derived from different organs and tissues of eukaryotic organisms. Although it is mainly used on human cells, the assay has applications also in the evaluation of DNA damage in yeast, plant and animal cells. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to give an extensive overview on the usage of the comet assay in animal models from invertebrates to vertebrates, covering both terrestrial and water biota. The comet assay is used in a variety of invertebrate species since they are regarded as interesting subjects in ecotoxicological research due to their significance in ecosystems. Hence, the first part of the review (Part 1) will discuss the application of the comet assay in invertebrates covering protozoans, platyhelminthes, planarians, cnidarians, molluscs, annelids, arthropods and echinoderms. Besides a large number of animal species, the assay is also performed on a variety of cells, which includes haemolymph, gills, digestive gland, sperm and embryo cells. The mentioned cells have been used for the evaluation of a broad spectrum of genotoxic agents both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the use of invertebrate models and their role from an ecotoxicological point of view will also be discussed as well as the comparison of the use of the comet assay in invertebrate and human models. Since the comet assay is still developing, its increasing potential in assessing DNA damage in animal models is crucial especially in the field of ecotoxicology and biomonitoring at the level of different species, not only humans.
彗星试验又称单细胞凝胶电泳，是一种灵敏、快速、低成本的技术，可用于定量和分析单个细胞水平的 DNA 损伤和修复。该试验本身几乎可以应用于从真核生物的不同器官和组织中提取的任何细胞类型。虽然它主要用于人类细胞，但该试验也可用于评估酵母、植物和动物细胞中的 DNA 损伤。因此，本综述的目的是广泛概述彗星试验在从无脊椎动物到脊椎动物的动物模型中的应用，涵盖了陆地和水生生物群。由于它们在生态系统中的重要性，彗星试验在许多无脊椎动物物种中得到了应用，这些物种被认为是生态毒理学研究中的有趣课题。因此，综述的第一部分（第 1 部分）将讨论彗星试验在无脊椎动物中的应用，涵盖原生动物、扁形动物、扁形动物、刺胞动物、软体动物、环节动物、节肢动物和棘皮动物。除了大量的动物物种外，该试验还应用于各种细胞，包括血淋巴、鳃、消化腺、精子和胚胎细胞。这些细胞已被用于评估各种遗传毒性剂在体外和体内的广泛作用。此外，还将讨论无脊椎动物模型及其在生态毒理学方面的作用，以及彗星试验在无脊椎动物和人类模型中的应用比较。由于彗星试验仍在发展中，它在评估动物模型中的 DNA 损伤方面的潜力不断增加，特别是在生态毒理学和不同物种水平的生物监测领域，而不仅仅是人类。
