Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Near East University, 99138, Nicosia, North Cyprus.
Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330, Ankara, Turkey.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021 Oct;199(10):3667-3676. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02520-1. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Several heavy metal(oid)s are known mutagens and/or carcinogens. Exposure to these elements can lead to the development of malignancies. Gemikonagi, which is in the western part of Cyprus, was the hometown of mining operations. It is believed that the mining site is a significant heavy metal(oid) source for the environment and residents. In this biomonitoring study, a total of 60 blood samples from Gemikonagi region (n = 30) and from a control region located 40 km northeast from the mining site, Tepebasi (n = 30), and 5 soil samples from each region were collected to conduct heavy metal analysis using ICP-MS. To conduct genotoxicity analysis, alkaline comet assay and in vivo micronucleus assays were used. t test for independent samples and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied. Copper and iron were found to be enriched in Gemikonagi, while arsenic was found to be enriched in Tepebasi. Genotoxicity analyses demonstrated a statistically significant increase in parameters of micronuclei frequency (p value = 0.0001) and Comet Assay statistics upon exposure to some elements, such as arsenic (p value = 0.04) and copper (p value = 0.012). The results indicate that a general enrichment in heavy elements is not endemic to Gemikonagi, but a problem that might be generalized to the entirety of Cyprus. Graphical abstract.
几种重金属（类）已知是诱变剂和/或致癌物质。接触这些元素会导致恶性肿瘤的发展。位于塞浦路斯西部的杰米科纳吉是采矿作业的故乡。人们认为，该采矿场是环境和居民的重要重金属（类）来源。在这项生物监测研究中，共采集了来自杰米科纳吉地区（n = 30）和距离采矿场东北 40 公里的特佩巴希地区（n = 30）的 60 个血液样本，以及每个地区的 5 个土壤样本，使用 ICP-MS 进行重金属分析。为了进行遗传毒性分析，使用碱性彗星试验和体内微核试验。采用独立样本 t 检验和曼-惠特尼 U 检验。结果表明，铜和铁在杰米科纳吉富集，而砷在特佩巴希富集。遗传毒性分析表明，接触某些元素（如砷（p 值 = 0.04）和铜（p 值 = 0.012））后，微核频率参数和彗星试验统计学显著增加。这表明，重金属的普遍富集并不是杰米科纳吉特有的问题，而是可能普遍存在于整个塞浦路斯的问题。
