Protein Caloric Malnutrition and Chromosomal alterations: a case-control study

PADULA G, TERREROS MC, APESTEGUÍA M Y SALCEDA SA

Chicago (EEUU)

Otro; 51 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics; 2001

American Society of Human Genetics

The relation between protein-caloric malnutrition (PCM) and genetic damage has been studied in human beings and laboratory animals obtaining contradictory evidences. It has been found that children aged 1-60 months with severe PCM exhibited an increase of chromosomal aberrations (dicentrics, gaps, isogaps, breaks) in peripheral lymphocytes and bone marrow cell cultures. These abnormalities persisted even after the children had attained normal height and weight (Armendares et al, 1971). In order to evaluate the effect of the protein-caloric malnutrition on the chromosomal damage a total of 9 individuals (7 females and 2 males) aged 1-60 were studied. Cytogenetics preparations from peripheral blood cells were made according to routine protocols and fixed according to Islam and Levan (1987). Chromosome spreads were stained for C banding according to Summer (1972). Cytogenetics analysis were performed in coded slides by scoring the frequencies of dicentric chromosomes, gaps, isogaps, breaks and telomeric associations (TAS). Statistical analysis were performed by Epi Info 6.0. The results obtained to date shows an increase of chromosomal aberrations. This genetic damage as consequence of PCM can be explained by a failure of enzymatic mechanisms of DNA replication and repair.