Relationship between radiation induced dicentric chromosome aberrations and micronucleus formation in human lymphocytes

Chromosome damage measured by the chromosome aberration technique is a reliable method to assess the radiation dose absorbed by cells. However, this technique has some disadvantages. Scoring is difficult and requires skill and experience which of these lead low number of cell counts. The micronucleus (MN) technique which also measures chromosome losses has easy scoring criteria leading high numbers of cell counts and therefore holds more statistical power. In this study, the relationship between the results of the micronucleus technique and those obtained by the chromosome aberration technique was investigated after radiation doses of 1Gy, 2Gy, 3Gy and 4Gy to peripheral blood lymphocytes of 3 healthy individuals. Increases in the chromosome damage after radiation were observed in both techniques. When the dicentric aberration frequencies that were measured in the chromosome aberration technique and the micronucleus frequencies were compared, no difference (p > 0.05) between these two independent measures of radiation damage was reported. The relationship between the micronuclei and the free acentric chromosome aberrations measured in the chromosome aberration technique was not significant as well as that between the dicentrics and micronuclei. On the basis of the relationship between the dicentric aberrations and the micronucleus frequencies, the micronucleus technique with an easy and short term application and with an easy scoring can be used as an alternative to the chromosome aberration technique.