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 Jul-Sep;781:130-164. doi: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2019.04.002. Epub 2019 Apr 20.
The comet assay has become one of the methods of choice for the evaluation and measurement of DNA damage. It is sensitive, quick to perform and relatively affordable for the evaluation of DNA damage and repair at the level of individual cells. The comet assay can be applied to virtually any cell type derived from different organs and tissues. Even though the comet assay is predominantly used on human cells, the application of the assay for the evaluation of DNA damage in yeast, plant and animal cells is also quite high, especially in terms of biomonitoring. The present extensive overview on the usage of the comet assay in animal models will cover both terrestrial and water environments. The first part of the review was focused on studies describing the comet assay applied in invertebrates. The second part of the review, (Part 2) will discuss the application of the comet assay in vertebrates covering cyclostomata, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, in addition to chordates that are regarded as a transitional form towards vertebrates. Besides numerous vertebrate species, the assay is also performed on a range of cells, which includes blood, liver, kidney, brain, gill, bone marrow and sperm cells. These cells are readily used for the evaluation of a wide spectrum of genotoxic agents both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the use of vertebrate models and their role in environmental biomonitoring will also be discussed as well as the comparison of the use of the comet assay in vertebrate and human models in line with ethical principles. Although the comet assay in vertebrates is most commonly used in laboratory animals such as mice, rats and lately zebrafish, this paper will only briefly review its use regarding laboratory animal models and rather give special emphasis to the increasing usage of the assay in domestic and wildlife animals as well as in various ecotoxicological studies.
彗星试验已成为评估和测量 DNA 损伤的方法之一。它具有灵敏、快速的特点，且相对经济实惠，可用于评估单个细胞的 DNA 损伤和修复。彗星试验几乎可应用于任何来源于不同器官和组织的细胞类型。虽然彗星试验主要用于人类细胞，但该试验也广泛应用于酵母、植物和动物细胞，以评估 DNA 损伤，特别是在生物监测方面。本综述广泛介绍了彗星试验在动物模型中的应用，涵盖了陆地和水生环境。本综述的第一部分重点介绍了描述在无脊椎动物中应用彗星试验的研究。第二部分（第 2 部分）将讨论彗星试验在脊椎动物中的应用，涵盖了圆口类、鱼类、两栖类、爬行类、鸟类和哺乳动物，此外还包括被认为是向脊椎动物过渡的脊索动物。除了众多脊椎动物物种外，该试验还应用于一系列细胞，包括血液、肝脏、肾脏、大脑、鳃、骨髓和精子细胞。这些细胞可用于评估广泛的体外和体内遗传毒性剂。此外，还将讨论脊椎动物模型的应用及其在环境生物监测中的作用，以及根据伦理原则比较彗星试验在脊椎动物和人类模型中的应用。尽管在脊椎动物中最常使用的是实验室动物（如小鼠、大鼠和最近的斑马鱼）进行彗星试验，但本文仅简要回顾了其在实验室动物模型中的应用，而特别强调了该试验在野生动物和家养动物以及各种生态毒理学研究中的应用不断增加。
