MICRONUCLEI AND CHROMATIN STRUCTURE PATTERNS IN BUCCAL EPITHELIUM CELLS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH PLASMA HOMOCYSTEINE LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH BREAST TUMORS

Lozovskaya Y.V., Sevko A.L., Polischuk L.Z., Naleskina L.A., Prizimirska T.V., Shkorbatov Y.G.

The paper analyzes patterns of micronuclei (MNi) level in mucosa buccal epithelium (BE) cells, interphase chromatin structure in BE, and homocysteine (Hcy) levels in blood plasma in women with breast neoplasms. A positive correlation is found between MNi in BE and Hcy levels in blood plasma in both breast cancer and fibroadenoma patients. An inverse correlation was found between heterochromatin granule level in BE nuclei and Hcy level in blood plasma in the groups of patients under consideration. MNi level in BE is shown to increase significantly in patients with breast cancer comparing to women with breast fibroadenoma.