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The comet assay as a tool in human biomonitoring of exposure to heavy metals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2025-11Journal article Open access
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datacite.subject.sdg03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.authorMøller, Peter
dc.contributor.authorBankoglu, Ezgi Eyluel
dc.contributor.authorStopper, Helga
dc.contributor.authorGajski, Goran
dc.contributor.authorGerić, Marko
dc.contributor.authorHaveric, Anja
dc.contributor.authorAzqueta, Amaya
dc.contributor.authorGiovannelli, Lisa
dc.contributor.authorCollins, Andrew
dc.contributor.authorLadeira, Carina
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-15T14:37:36Z
dc.date.available2025-12-15T14:37:36Z
dc.date.issued2025-11
dc.descriptionThis work was supported by the affiliated institutions, European Regional Development Fund project KK.01.1.1.02.0007 (Rec-IMI), the Croatian Science Foundation (HUMNap project #1192), the Horizon Europe (EDIAQI project #101057497), the European Union—Next Generation EU 533–03–23–0006 (BioMolTox), and the International Comet Assay Working Group (ICAWG).
dc.description.abstractExposure to heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and chromium is associated with genotoxicity and increased risk of cancer. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we have assessed the effects of heavy metal exposure on levels of DNA strand breaks in leukocytes, measured by the comet assay, in human biomonitoring studies. We distinguish between traditional toxic metals (lead), semi-metals/metalloids (arsenic), transition metals (chromium), and other heavy metals. The literature search led to 66 studies, which were assessed by meta-analysis. Using standardized mean difference and 95 % confidence interval (CI), the meta-analyses show increased levels of DNA strand breaks in subjects exposed to lead (1.99, 95 % CI: 1.47, 2.51), arsenic (1.36, 95 % CI: 0.94, 1.77), chromium/welding fume (2.03, 95 % CI: 1.48, 2.57), and other heavy metals (0.81, 95 % CI: 0.45, 1.18). Subgroup analysis indicates that all studies combined from middle-income countries have a higher effect size (1.99, 95 % CI: 1.63, 2.35) than studies from high-income countries (0.81, 95 % CI: 0.37, 1.26). The lower effect size in high-income countries may be due to differences in exposure levels, related to stricter regulation of emissions or more awareness/use of personal protective equipment in the working environment. Sensitivity analysis does not unequivocally link effect size to comet assay measurement bias, inferred by insufficient information on comet assay procedures, missing assay controls, non-blinded analysis of samples, or exposure misclassification. In conclusion, this systematic review and meta-analysis shows that exposure to heavy metals - lead, arsenic, and chromium - is associated with increased levels of DNA strand breaks in human leukocytes.eng
dc.identifier.citationMøller P, Bankoglu EE, Stopper H, Gajski G, Gerić M, Ladeira C, et al. The comet assay as a tool in human biomonitoring of exposure to heavy metals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mutat Res Rev Mutat Res. 2025;796:108567.
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.mrrev.2025.108567
dc.identifier.issn1383-5742
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/22313
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383574225000389
dc.relation.ispartofMutation Research - Reviews in Mutation Research
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectBiomonitoring
dc.subjectDNA damage
dc.subjectGenotoxicity biomarkers
dc.subjectMeta-analysis
dc.subjectOccupational exposure
dc.subjectTransition metals
dc.titleThe comet assay as a tool in human biomonitoring of exposure to heavy metals: a systematic review and meta-analysiseng
dc.typejournal article
dcterms.referenceshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrrev.2025.108567
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.startPage108567
oaire.citation.titleMutation Research - Reviews in Mutation Research
oaire.citation.volume796
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameLadeira
person.givenNameCarina
person.identifier144237
person.identifier.ciencia-id801C-1BBA-1D9E
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-5588-0074
person.identifier.ridJ-2572-2012
person.identifier.scopus-author-id36463788000
relation.isAuthorOfPublication1aef4b60-4197-436b-84ab-80d31cbaed33
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery1aef4b60-4197-436b-84ab-80d31cbaed33

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