ABSTRACT
Background: Tobacco smoke causes serious health ill effects to human population. Cancer and cardiovascular diseases are more common in smoking subjects
Aim: The present study is focused about the genetical changes in smoking subjects based on their age and pack years
Subjects and methods: Based on a survey report, 160 subjects are selected from Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India. Venous blood and buccal smear samples are collected from each subject
Results: Increased CA is observed in heavy smokers compared to light and non smokers which is 8.90 +/- 2.58, 4.58 +/- 2.36 and 4.31 +/- 1.17, respectively. Both medium and light smokers showed significantly increased CA frequencies than control. Comet assay showed increased percentage of abnormalities in smokers [light, medium and heavy] than non-smokers
Conclusion: The frequencies of MN in buccal epithelial and blood lymphocytes are high in smokers; particularly heavy smoker group showed significantly increased results. Among them, the lymphocytic cells showed high MN frequency