Physiol. Res. 49: 733-736, 2000

SHORT COMMUNICATION


Ozone-Induced Micronuclei Frequency in Rat Alveolar Type II Cells

D. CHORVATOVIČOVÁ, P. H. M. HOET1, E. TÁTRAI2, Z. KOVÁČIKOVÁ3

Institute of Experimental Pharmacology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic,1Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium, 2National Institute of Occupational Health, Budapest, Hungary and 3Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Received November 16, 1999
Accepted March 10, 2000


Summary
The effect of ozone, a ubiquitous air pollutant, was tested on cultured pulmonary epithelial type II cells isolated from rats. After 40-hour culture, the cells were exposed for 6 h to 400 ppb of ozone or air. The number of micronucleated cells was counted after the exposure. In each group, 17 000 cells were evaluated. The number of micronucleated cells was significantly increased in the ozone-exposed group (12.24 per 1000 cells) compared to the control group (5.00 per 1000 cells). The results showed the mutagenic effect of ozone exposure on alveolar type II cells, manifested in the increased frequency of their micronuclei.


Key words
Micronuclei · Alveolar epithelial type II cells · Ozone · In vitro

Reprint requests
Z. Kováčiková, Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Limbová 14, 833 01 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Fax: +421-7-54773906, e-mail: kovacik@upkm.sk


© 2000 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences