Spontaneous micronucleus frequencies in human peripheral Mood lymphocytes as a screening test for an individual variation in a different population and radiation-induced micronucleus induction

Our studies were to evaluate the role of epigenetic factors in the variation of radios ens itivity on human peripheral blood lymphocytes by measuring the frequencies of micronucleus (MN) from 293 healthy subjects of different population for assessing the radiation health risk in Korea. We analyzed the frequencies of both spontaneous and in vitro 60Co y-rays or 50MeV neutron-induced MNs. The frequencies of spontaneous MNs not only vary greatly between individuals, but also working or living areas. The increased levels of cells with spontaneous MNs were observed with an increasing age. The frequencies of spontaneous MNs were significantly higher in females than in males. For both sexes, MN frequency was significantly and positively correlated with age. Age and gender are the most important demographic variables impacting on the MN index. Donors who had ever smoked showed significantly increased frequencies of MNs compared to nonsmokers. The main lifestyle factors influencing the MN index in the subjects are...