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Is micronucleus assay in oral exfoliated cells a suitable tool for biomonitoring children exposed to environmental pollutants? A systematic review

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Abstract

The aim of this review was to evaluate if micronucleus assay in oral exfoliated cells is a suitable tool for biomonitoring children exposed to environmental pollutants. Through the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science, all published studies until April 2021 that examined the relationship between exposure to environmental pollutants and micronucleus frequency in oral cells were searched. All relevant articles using a combination of the following keywords—“children,” “micronucleus,” “oral cells,” and “environmental pollution”—were considered. A total of 20 papers met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. The results regarding the cytogenetic damage induced by environmental pollutants are conflicting. Some authors have demonstrated that environmental pollution induces mutagenesis in oral cells while others did not. Following the parameters of the Project for Effective Public Health Practices (EPHPP) and after extensive reading of all the articles included, a total of 12 articles had moderate and strong scores and 8 had a classification considered weak. Taken together, this review was able to demonstrate the association between micronucleus frequency and exposure to environmental pollutants in oral exfoliated cells of children.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge research grants received from CNPq (ConselhoNacional de DesenvolvimentoCientifico e Tecnológico) and CAPES. DVS thanks CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the grants received and scholarship. DAR and ACMR thank CNPq for productivity fellowships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Health and Society, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of São Paulo, UNIFESP, Rua Silva Jardim, 136, Room 332, Vila Mathias, São Paulo, Santos, SP, 11050-020, Brazil

    Ingra Tais Malacarne, Daniel Vitor De Souza, Maria Esther Suarez Alpire, Ana Carolina Flygare Souza, Ana Claudia Muniz Renno & Daniel Araki Ribeiro

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  1. Ingra Tais Malacarne
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  2. Daniel Vitor De Souza
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  3. Maria Esther Suarez Alpire
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  4. Ana Carolina Flygare Souza
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  5. Ana Claudia Muniz Renno
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  6. Daniel Araki Ribeiro
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Contributions

Conceptualization: ITM and DAR. Data search: ITM, DVS, MESA, ACFS, and DAR. Formal analysis: ITM, DVS, ACMR, and DAR. Writing—review and editing: all authors.

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Correspondence to Daniel Araki Ribeiro.

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Malacarne, I.T., De Souza, D.V., Alpire, M.E.S. et al. Is micronucleus assay in oral exfoliated cells a suitable tool for biomonitoring children exposed to environmental pollutants? A systematic review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 65083–65093 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16810-1

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