PURPOSE:
to evaluate the association between the function of the medial olivocochlear system and the biomarkers of genotoxicity in resident students from the tobacco-producing region.
METHODS:
the study group was composed by 21 normal-hearing students from the tobacco-producing region and the control group by 25 normal-hearing students who did not live in the countryside. The medial olivocochlear system was assessed by the distortion of product otoacoustic emissions and genotoxic biomarkers, such as: comet assay, micronucleus test and fluorimetric assay for the quantification of DNA. The data were subjected to statistical analysis.
RESULTS:
by comparing the occurrence of suppression of emissions between the groups, no significant association was detected. Considering the comet assay and the fluorimetric assay for quantitation of DNA, the mean of the study group was considerate significantly higher than the mean of the control group. In the micronucleus test, it was found a significant difference in the sum of abnormal cells and in the frequency of binucleated cells, with the mean of the study group higher than the one found in the control group. And, in relation to the frequency of cells with micronucleus, it showed no significant difference between both groups. No association was found between the occurrence of suppression and the results of genotoxicity biomarkers.
CONCLUSION:
the study group had no alteration in medial olivocochlear system, which was evidenced by the presence of emissions suppression, but it presented injury rates considerate significantly higher in relation to the genotoxic biomarkers. However, there was no association between suppression of emissions and genotoxicity.
Pesticides; Tobacco; Hearing; Efferent Pathways; Genotoxicity; Child
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