This study was performed to determine the cytogenetic effects of short-term thermal stress in human cultured lymphocytes. Experimental heat shock (39 °C) was performed alone or with the addition of mitomycin C (MMC) to determine the synergistic or antagonistic effects of heat shock on genotoxicity induced by MMC. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2015) 39: 98-103 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Evaluation of the genotoxic or mutagenic effects of thermal stress on cultured human lymphocytes 1, 1 2 3 1 Hasan Basri İLA *, Mehmet TOPAKTAŞ , Mehmet ARSLAN , Mehmet BÜYÜKLEYLA , Erman Salih İSTİFLİ 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Letters, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey 2 Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Ardahan University, Ardahan, Turkey 3 Natural and Applied Science Institute, Department of Biology, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: This study was performed to determine the cytogenetic effects of short-term thermal stress in human cultured lymphocytes. Experimental heat shock (39 °C) was performed alone or with the addition of mitomycin C (MMC) to determine the synergistic or antagonistic effects of heat shock on genotoxicity induced by MMC. In this study, during culture periods of 72 h, human peripheral blood lymphocytes were exposed to heat shock for specified durations (30, 60, 120, and 240 min) 24 or 48 h before harvest. According to our results, the selected temperatures did not show genotoxic or mutagenic effects. In summary, the heat shock tested did not show any cytogenetic effect on the cultured blood cells and did not cause significant alterations in genotoxicity induced by MMC. Key words: Heat shock, mitomycin C, in vitro, sister chromatid exchange, chromosome aberration, micronucleus 1. Introduction All organisms in the ecosystem are in engaged in the effort of maintaining the optimal balance in their internal environment as long as they survive. Acid–base balance and body temperature regulation are 2 of these balances. This concept, defined for the first time by C. Bernard in 1865 (Cross and Albury, 1987), was named homeostasis by . Cannon (1926). .
