Effects of Trichloroethylene on Lymphocyte Viability, Genotoxicity and Alteration of c-Myc and WT1 Genes

Abstract

Trichloroethylene ( TCE) is a volatile organic compound and chlorine atom in the molecule. It is widely used for degreasing metals which contain environmental and industrial pollutants. It is a toxic chemical substance. The aims of this study were focused on the toxic effect of TCE on human lymphocyte viability in vitro and the impact of TCE toxicity on the expression of WT1 and c-Myc genes. The TCE concentrations of 0.002, 0.004, 0.006, 0.008 and 0.016 mM/L were treated in human lymphocytes for 24 h. Lymphocytes were cultured to study the toxic effect of TCE on lymphocyte viability by MTT assay and gene expression alterations by Quantitative RT-PCR ( qRT-PCR) technique. The results showed that, the experimental groups at various TCE concentrations had lower cell viability than the control group (p<0.05). Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed up-regulated expression in the experimental groups comparison with the control groups of c-Myc gene [0.008 mM/L (1.4-fold) and 0.016 mM/L (1.7-fold) ] and WT1 gene [0.008 mM/L (1.7-fold) and 0.016 mM/L (2.5-fold)]. It is indicated that TCE can cause cytotoxic effect in human lymphocytes and effects in c-Myc and WT1 genes expression. The expression levels of c-Myc and WT1 increased in humans may lead to the onset of cancer in the future. The knowledge about TCE toxicity will be useful for forensic evidence for the factory workers or the people in the community who stay around the industrial site and face TCE exposure.