Sister chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes treated in vitro with cadmium in G(o) and S phase of their cell cycles.

Sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were analyzed in human phytohemagglutinin-activated peripheral lymphocyte cultures exposed to varying concentrations (10(-7)-10(-3) M) of cadmium chloride in vitro at two different stages of the cell cycle, G(o) and early S phase. When cadmium chloride was administered at the G(o) phase, no increase in the SCEs were observed for the doses 10(-6) and 10(-5) M. Concentrations equal to or larger than 10(4) M cadmium chloride were lethal to human lymphocytes in our experimental conditions. A highly statistically significant increase was observed in the SCE frequency with increasing cadmium chloride concentration (10(-7)-10(-4)) when cadmium was administered at the early S phase, which was 24 h after culture initiation. The increase in SCE frequency was higher when the cultures were terminated at 54 h, compared to termination at 72 h. In order to examine the effects of cadmium administered at the S phase on SCE frequency in different individuals, 10(-5) M concentration was used and the cultures were terminated at 54 h after culture initiation. A 2- to 3-fold increase in the SCE frequency was observed in all six individuals examined. A progressive decrease in the proliferative index was also observed by increasing cadmium chloride concentration. These results demonstrate that the genotoxicity of cadmium chloride may be changed depending on the stage of the cell cycle in human lymphocytes. This may be one of the reasons of contradictory findings in the literature.