Induction of micronuclei in buccal mucosa on chewing a mixture of betel leaf, areca nut and tobacco.

Betel quid containing areca nut and chewing tobacco is used in many parts of India. In this study we evaluated the micronuclei (MN) in buccal mucosa of healthy individuals from southern India, who were regularly chewing a mixture of betel leaf, areca nut and tobacco. A total of 44 subjects were examined.

XRCC1399 and hOGG1326 polymorphisms and frequencies of micronuclei, comet and chromosomal aberrations among tobacco chewers: a South Indian population study.

DNA repair plays a critical role in protecting the genome of the cell from the insults of cancer-causing agents such as those found in tobacco. Reduced DNA repair capacity may constitute a significant risk factor for cancers. Recently, a number of polymorphisms in several DNA repair genes have been discovered, these polymorphisms may affect DNA repair capacity and thus modulate cancer susceptibility in exposed populations.