NUCLEAR DEGENERATION AS A BY-PRODUCT OF AGING AND ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Background: The process of aging in the immediate toxic environment occurring in this Industrialized world is detrimental for human body. This is accelerating aging process and at the cellular level, the toxins present in environment are inducing chromosomal(micronuclei) and nuclear degenerative changes (karyorrhexis, karyolysis, pyknosis, condensed chromatin). The given study evaluates the effects of aging and environment on the chromosomal/nuclear degenerative changes, thus affecting the exfoliated cells collected from buccal mucosa. Methods: The sample included 86 healthy subjects divided into two groups according to age: 46 women aged above 60 years and 40 women of 20- 25 years of age. A questionnaire was prepared to retrieve all the data related to health and drug related history. Buccal smears were prepared and stained with both Papanicolaou and H&E stain. Hundred cells were counted from each slide to determine the number of micronuclei and other nuclear degenerative changes. Results: The number of micronuclei and other nuclear degenerative changes were signicantly higher among the elderly women (p<0.05) when compared with young women volunteers. Conclusion: Aging along with environmental factors appear to be detrimental in inducing mutagenic/ genotoxic effects at the cellular level. Cytological evaluation is clearly indicative of nuclear changes evident with aging.