Detection of DNA damage in stimulated human lymphocytes after enflurane exposure in vitro.

DNA damage was detected by nucleoid sedimentation in human lymphocytes stimulated with pokeweed mitogen after exposure to enflurane. Enflurane induces DNA damage at an exposure concentration of 0.2 vol%. Higher enflurane concentrations increase the rate of DNA damage. The DNA damage seen after exposure to enflurane concentrations of 0.2 and 3.0% vol is comparable to damage after X-radiation of 0.1 and 0.7 Gy. DNA single-strand breaks can be demonstrated by nucleoid sedimentation and can indicate damage before DNA repair begins. Therefore, detected DNA single-strand breaks may be reversible. However, DNA repair is not always successful and an increased number of DNA single-strand breaks could lead to irreversible DNA damage. The method of nucleoid sedimentation helps to show DNA damage in proliferating cells after exposure to volatile anesthetics or therapeutic gases.