3-Methylcholanthrene (MCA) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and potent carcinogenic agent that is often used in experimental cancer studies. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been widely used for many years as an antioxidant to preserve and stabilize the freshness, nutritional value, flavor, and color of foods. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the application of MCA and BHT in the development of lung cancer, and to detect any mutation in the Ki-ras gene exon 2. | Turk J Biol 32 (2008) 277-282 © TÜBİTAK Analysis of Ki-ras Exon 2 Gene Mutations in 3-Methylcholanthrene and Butylated Hydroxytoluene-Induced Rat Lung Tissues Fikriye POLAT1, Öztürk ÖZDEMİR2, Şahende ELAGÖZ3 1 Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli - TURKEY 2 Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas - TURKEY 3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas - TURKEY Received: Abstract: 3-Methylcholanthrene (MCA) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and potent carcinogenic agent that is often used in experimental cancer studies. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been widely used for many years as an antioxidant to preserve and stabilize the freshness, nutritional value, flavor, and color of foods. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the application of MCA and BHT in the development of lung cancer, and to detect any mutation in the Ki-ras gene exon 2. Rats were killed by cervical dislocation 26 weeks after the last BHT injection and lung tissues were surgically removed. Lung tissues of the control and experiment rat groups were examined for point mutations in the exon 2 of the Ki-ras by PCR based SSCP analysis. No point mutation was observed in the Ki-ras gene exon 2. Key Words: Ki-ras gene, 3-methylcholanthrene, butylated hydroxytoluene, rat lung tissue, mutation 3-Metilkolantren ve Bütil Hidroksitoluenle Uyarılmış Rat Akciğer Dokularında Ki-ras Ekson 2 Geni Mutasyon Analizi Özet: Bir polisiklik aromatik hidrokarbon ve potansiyel karsinojenik ajan olan MCA, deneysel kanser çalışmalarında sıklıkla kullanılır. BHT, yiyeceklerin tazeliğini, besin değerini, tadını ve rengini sabit tutmak ve korumak için, antioksidan olarak yıllardan beri yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı akciğer kanser gelişiminde, MCA ve BHT’nin rolünü araştırmak; Ki-ras ekson 2 geninde herhangi bir mutasyona neden olup .
