Miroslav Misik

• Mgr., PhD, MSC Tox
• Medical University of Vienna

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics (PS-MNPs) are emerging environmental pollutants with potential implications for human health. In this study, we used two different sizes of PS-MNPs (0.25 um and 1 um) on non-small cell lung cancer (A549, H460), small cell lung cancer (DMS53, H372), and normal lung epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells, as well as on human-d...

Tetraploidisation plays a crucial role in evolution, development, stress adaptation, and disease, but its beneficial or pathological effects in different tissues remain unclear. This study aims to compare physiological and unphysiological tetraploidy in eight steps: 1) mechanisms of diploidy-to-tetraploidy transition, 2) induction and elimination o...

We investigated the impact of cigarette smoking, daily exposure to tar and nicotine, and the duration of smoking on genetic instability (chromosomal damage—micronuclei, MN, nuclear buds—gene amplification) as well as on disturbances in mitosis (resulting in binucleated cells). Furthermore, we analyzed markers of cytotoxic effects (such as the forma...

The presence of two new disinfectant by-product (DBP) groups in the UK was recently shown using non-target analysis, halogenated-hydroxycyclopentenediones and halogenated-methanesulfonic acids. In this work, we confirmed the structure of 2,2,4-tribromo-5-hydroxycyclopent-4-ene-1,3-dione (TBHCD), and quantified it together with dibromomethanesulfoni...

The majority of the woodland area in Central Europe is composed of managed forests. Although the species diversity and composition, particularly in older forests, may be similar to those of natural or close-to-nature forests, intensive forestry and other human activities have adverse impacts on biodiversity. The present study focused on bryophyte d...

Epidemiological studies indicate that electromagnetic fields (EMF) are associated with cancer in humans. Exposure to mobile phone specific high frequency fields (HF-EMF) may lead to increased glioma risks, while low frequency radiation (LF-EMF) is associated with childhood leukemia. We studied the impact of HF-EMF (1950 MHz, UMTS signal) on DNA sta...

Micronucleus (MN) assays with buccal cells are at present widely used to investigate occupational exposures to genotoxic carcinogens. This article describes their use for the monitoring of metal exposed workers. We found in total 73 relevant articles, in the majority (97 %) increased MN and/or other nuclear anomalies were reported. Most studies wer...

Non-target chemical analysis of drinking water revealed the presence of two new disinfectant by-product (DBP) groups in the UK, halogenated-hydroxycyclopentenediones and halogenated-methanesulfonic acids. We unequivocally identified 2,2,4-tribromo-5-hydroxycyclopent-4-ene-1,3-dione (TBHCD), and quantified it together with dibromomethanesulfonic aci...

Non-target chemical analysis of drinking water revealed the presence of two new disinfectant by-product (DBP) groups in the UK, halogenated-hydroxycyclopentenediones and halogenated-methanesulfonic acids. We unequivocally identified 2,2,4-tribromo-5-hydroxycyclopent-4-ene-1,3-dione (TBHCD), and quantified it together with dibromomethanesulfonic aci...

Several human studies indicate that mobile phone specific electromagnetic fields may cause cancer in humans but the underlying molecular mechanisms are currently not known. Studies concerning chromosomal damage (which is causally related to cancer induction) are controversial and those addressing this issue in mobile phone users are based on the us...

Purpose Acquired chemoresistance is a frequent event in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the deadliest human malignancies. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been shown to synergize with different chemotherapeutic agents including cisplatin. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the dual targeting of HDAC inhibition and chemotherapy in...

Aim of this study was to investigate if age and body mass of humans have an impact on the DNA damaging properties of high-frequency mobile phone-specific electromagnetic fields (HF-EMF, 1950 MHz, UMTS signal) and if this form of radiation has an impact on the genotoxic effects of occupationally relevant exposures. Pooled peripheral blood mononuclea...

The single cell gel electrophoresis technique is based on the measurement of DNA migration in an electric field and enables to investigate via determination of DNA-damage the impact of foods and their constituents on the genetic stability. DNA-damage leads to adverse effects including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infertility. In the last...

Obesity causes genetic instability, which plays a key-role in the etiology of cancer and aging. We investigated the impact of bariatric surgery (BS) on DNA repair, oxidative DNA damage, telomere lengths, alterations of antioxidant enzymes and, selected proteins which reflect inflammation. The study was realized with BS patients (n = 35). DNA damage...

Introduction. The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasing due to war in Ukraine is of growing importance as this disorder is a serious risk factor for alcohol/drug abuse, depression, suicide and functional dysregulation of internal organs, in particular cardiovascular, endocrine, immune systems. PTSD can also lead to social...

Many conventional in vitro tests that are currently widely used for routine screening of chemicals have a sensitivity/specificity in the range between 60 and 80 % for the detection of carcinogens. Most procedures were developed 30 to 40 years ago. In the last decades several assays became available which are based on the use of metabolically compet...

Micronucleus (MN) analyses in peripheral blood lymphocytes and exfoliated cells from different organs (mouth, nose, bladder and cervix) are at present the most widely used approaches to detect damage of genetic material in humans. MN are extranuclear DNA-containing bodies, which can be identified microscopically. They reflect structural and numeric...

Introduction. Micronuclei (MN) are small extranuclear DNA-containing structures that are formed as a consequence of structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations. The advantage of MN experiments compared to conventional chromosomal analyses in metaphase cells is that the scoring is by far less time consuming and laborious. MN experiments are cur...

Consumption of very hot beverages and foods increases the incidence of oral and esophageal cancer but the mechanisms are not known and the critical temperature is not well defined. We realized a study with exfoliated cells from the oral cavity of individuals (n = 73) that live in an area in Iran which has the highest incidence of EC worldwide. Cons...

The paper provides a basic overview of the bryophyte diversity on two sites of mowed meadows in southwestern Slovakia in the cadastre of the town Stupava. Overall, 42 bryophyte species were found, out of them, three liverworts (Marchantia polymorpha, Radula complanata and Riccia sorocarpa) and 39 mosses. On both sites, terrestrial species and epili...

The inadequate representation of enzymes which catalyze the activation/detoxification of xenobiotics in cells that are currently used in genotoxicity testing of chemicals leads to a high number of false positive results and the number of follow up studies with rodents could be reduced by more reliable in vitro models. We found earlier that several...

The single-cell gel electrophoresis-based genotoxin sensitivity assay (GSA) is an ex vivo approach which enables to study the impact of a variety of dietary factors, occupational exposures, and diseases on the sensitivity of humans towards genotoxic chemicals which cause adverse health effects such as cancer, accelerated aging, and infertility.

Ceratodon purpureus, which growth particularly on open sands. Quite abundant species are , Hypnum cupressiforme, Polytrichum piliferum and. On sand dunes occur heliophytic, xerophytic or mesophytic bryophytes which are according to temperature Continentality value shows the prevalence of temperate species. The representation of life strategies of b...

Approximately 2 million endoprostheses are implanted annually and metal ions and particles are released into the body from the materials which are used. This review describes the results of studies concerning genotoxic damage caused by artificial joints. DNA damage leads to various adverse long-term health effects in humans including cancer. Experi...

Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of advanced wastewater treatment techniques (combining ozonation with activated carbon filtration) on acute and genotoxic activities of tertiary treated wastewater. Concentrated samples were tested in Salmonella/microsome assays. Furthermore, induction of DNA damage was measured in liver-derived cells...

Purpose: Aim of the study was to find out if gallic acid (GA), a common phenolic in plant foods, prevents obesity induced DNA damage which plays a key role in the induction of overweight associated cancer. Methods: Male and female C57BL6/J mice were fed with a low fat or a high fat diet (HFD). The HFD group received different doses GA (0, 2.6-20...

The Tradescantia micronucleus assay has been used since 50 years for the detection of genotoxins (including carcinogens) in the environment. A large database concerning the effects of individual chemicals and complex environmental mixtures (soil, air and waters) has accumulated. In contrast to other mutagenicity test systems, the effects of low con...

Anticancer drugs are among the most toxic chemicals, which are commercially produced; therefore, their release in aquatic ecosystems raised concerns in regard to potential adverse effects. This article describes the results of risk assessments concerning their environmental safety, which are based on data generated in the frame of a coordinated EU...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Concerns about the adverse health effects of chemicals and radiation present in the environment and at workplaces have created the need for better detection systems to assess their potential to cause DNA damage in humans and other organisms across ecosystems. The Micronucleus Assay in Toxicology is the first comprehensive volume concerning the use...

Scope : Obesity causes DNA damage, which is causally related to several disorders including cancer, infertility and cognitive dysfunctions. Aim of this study was to investigate whether weight loss improves the integrity of the genetic material. Methods and Results : Overweight mice were fed ad libitum either with a Western diet (WD), with a 40% ca...

Methamphetamine (METH) is a widely consumed psychostimulant drug; its acute toxic effects in brain and liver are well known, furthermore, there is some evidence in regard to its DNA damaging properties in humans. Therefore, we studied the impact of the drug on genomic stability in human derived hepatoma (HepG2) cells, which reflect the activation/d...

Table S1. Impact of different exposure periods on the results of cytokinesis block MN assays with CDDP (4% FBS RPMI).1

Figure S1. Growth kinetics of Huh6 cells. Cells were seeded into Petri dishes (∅ 6 cm) and incubated under standard conditions (RPMI with 4% FBS, 37°C, 95% humidity, 5% CO2). The cell numbers were determined with a CASEY‐counter. Symbols indicate means ± S.D. obtained with three plates per experimental point.

Table S2. Results of cytome MN assays with different diagnostic mutagens (10% FBS RPMI)1

Numerous studies indicate that damage of the genetic material plays a crucial role in a variety of human diseases, in particular in the etiology of cancer. Human, animal and also in vitro studies provide evidence that coffee and specific constituents (e.g. chlorogenic acids, N-methylpyridinium, caffeine and diterpenoids) prevent DNA damage. Among t...

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidivarin (CBDV) are natural cannabinoids which are consumed in increasing amounts worldwide in cannabis extracts, as they prevent epilepsy, anxiety, and seizures. It was claimed that they may be useful in cancer therapy and have anti-inflammatory properties. Adverse long-term effects of these drugs (induction of cancer a...

One of the problems of in vitro genotoxicity testing is the inadequate representation of drug metabolizing enzymes in indicator cells which are currently used. An alternative are human derived liver cell lines which retained the activities of enzymes that catalyze the activation and detoxification of genotoxins. Several cell lines were identified w...

One of the main problems of in vitro genotoxicity tests is the inadequate representation of drug metabolizing enzymes in most indicator cell lines which are currently used. We identified recently a human derived liver cell line (Huh6) which detected induction of DNA damage by representatives of different groups of promutagens without enzyme mix and...

Health authorities are alarmed worldwide about the increase of obesity and overweight in the last decades which lead to adverse health effects including inflammation, cancer, accelerated aging and infertility. We evaluated the state of knowledge concerning the impact of elevated body mass on genomic instability. Results of investigations with human...

Some epidemiological studies indicate that the use of mobile phones causes cancer in humans (in particular glioblastomas). It is known that DNA damage plays a key role in malignant transformation; therefore, we investigated the impact of the UMTS signal which is widely used in mobile telecommunications, on DNA stability in ten different human cell...

List of proteins which were altered significantly after exposure to RF in addition to NER-associated proteins. (DOCX)

Impact of RF-exposure on comet formation in different human glioblastoma cell lines. (DOCX)

Impact of radiation exposure on the vitality of the cells which was analyzed with trypan blue exclusion technique. Bars show means ±SD. The experimental setup is described in detail in the legend of Fig 3. (TIF)

Cell lines which are currently used in genotoxicity tests lack enzymes which activate/detoxify mutagens. Therefore, rodent-derived liver preparations are used which reflect their metabolism in humans only partly; as a consequence misleading results are often obtained. Previous findings suggest that certain liver cell lines express phase I/II enzyme...

Scope: Oxidative imbalance plays a key role in cancer induction and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to find out if gallic acid (GA) prevents oxidative stress in diabetic patients. Therefore, we investigated its impact on oxidation of DNA bases and on other health-related mac...

Results of a number of studies indicate that electroplaters have increased cancer risks as a consequence of exposure to genotoxic metals such as chromium (VI) and nickel. These effects may be due to induction of damage of the genetic material which plays a key role in the etiology of cancer, and it was found that workers in galvanization factories...

Some epidemiological studies indicate that mobile phones cause glioblastomas in humans. Since it is known that genomic instability plays a key role in the etiology of cancer, we investigated the effects of the universal mobile telecommunications system radiofrequency (UMTS-RF) signal, which is used in “smart” phones, on micronucleus (MN) formation...

Concerns about the adverse effects of chemicals present in the environment have created a need for better systems to assess their potential consequences on human health. One potential solution is the versatile and state-of-the-art Comet assay. Simple, sensitive, rapid and visual, this modern toxicological method allows quantitative and qualitative...

August 23-24, 2017 | Toronto, Canada allied academies INTERNATIONAL OBESITY, BARIATRIC AND METABOLIC SURGERY SUMMIT AND EXPO O besity and overweight are important risk factors for diseases, including many forms of cancer. It is known that damage of the genetic material plays a key role in malignant transformation, therefore the aim of present study...

Anticancer drugs are continuously released into hospital and urban wastewaters, where they, most commonly, undergo conventional treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Wastewaters contain complex mixtures of substances including parent compounds, their metabolites and transformation products (TPs). In this study, samples of hospital efflu...

Xanthohumol (XN) is a hop flavonoid contained in beers and soft drinks. In vitro and animal studies indicated that XN has DNA and cancer protective properties. To find out if it causes DNA protective effects in humans, an intervention trial was conducted in which the participants (n = 22) consumed a XN containing drink (12 mg XN/P/d). We monitored...

Aim of this study was the investigation of the genotoxic properties of XLR-11 [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl](2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone, a widely consumed synthetic cannabinoid (SC), and of the benzoyl indole RCS-4 (4-methoxyphenyl)(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methanone). We characterized the DNA-damaging properties of these drugs in d...

Environmental contamination with radioactive materials of geogenic and anthropogenic origin is a global problem. A variety of mutagenicity test procedures has been developed which enable the detection of DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation which plays a key role in the adverse effects caused by radioisotopes. In the present study, we investigat...

Recent experiments showed that 5-fluorouracil (5FU), cisplatin (CDDP), etoposide (ET), and imatinib mesylate (IM), which are currently among the most widely used anticancer drugs, cause damage of the genetic material in higher plants. The aim of the present study was to determine whether mixtures of these drugs cause synergistic or antagonistic eff...

Synthetic cathinones (SCAs) are consumed worldwide as psychostimulants and are increasingly marketed as surrogates of classical illicit drugs via the internet. The genotoxic properties of most of these drugs have not been investigated. Results of earlier studies show that amphetamines which are structurally closely related to these compounds cause...

This article concerns the use of the lymphocyte cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay in biomonitoring of occupational and environmental exposures to genotoxic agents. Furthermore, we evaluated the use of this method in different exposure scenarios, in comparison to other DNA damage biomarkers and its regional distribution. So far ca. 400 stu...

Scope: Xanthohumol (XN) is a hop flavonoid found in beers and refreshment drinks. Results of in vitro and animal studies indicate that it causes beneficial health effects due to DNA protective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and phytoestrogenic properties. Aim of the present study was to find out if XN causes alterations of health related paramete...

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most potent carcinogens in foods, and it was postulated to account for the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high exposure areas. Epidemiological investigations show that coffee consumption is inversely related to the incidence of HCC and that different molecular mechanisms may cause protective effect...

Cytostatic drugs are among the most toxic chemicals which are produced. Many of them cause damage of the genetic material which may affect the fertility of higher organisms. To study the impact of the widely used anticancer drugs [cisplatin (CisPt), etoposide (Et), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)] on the reproduction of higher plants, pollen abortion exp...

Unlabelled: Red mud (RM) is a byproduct of aluminum production; worldwide between 70 and 120 million tons is produced annually. We analyzed RM which was released in the course of the Kolontar disaster in Hungary into the environment in acute and genotoxicity experiments with plants which are widely used for environmental monitoring. We detected in...

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is at present one of the most widely used cytostatic drugs in developed countries but information on its ecotoxicological activities is scarce. This article describes the results of the first investigation in which genotoxic and acute toxic properties of the drug were studied in higher plants. IM was tested in two widely used...

Aim of the study was to investigate the protective properties of coffee towards aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) induced formation of pre-neoplastic hepatic foci and the identification of the constituents and molecular mechanisms that account for these effects. Rats consumed three different brews and were subsequently treated with AFB1 (0.75 mg/kg b.w. intrape...

The Tradescantia micronucleus assay is being used since almost 50 years for the detection of genotoxins (including carcinogens) in the environment. A large database on the effects of individual compounds and of complex environmental mixtures (soil, air and water) has accumulated. In contrast to other mutagenicity test systems, the effects of low co...

The Tradescantia micronucleus assay is being used since almost 50 years for the detection of genotoxins (including carcinogens) in the environment. A large database on the effects of individual compounds and of complex environmental mixtures (soil, air, and water) has accumulated. In contrast to other mutagenicity test systems, the effects of low c...

Recent findings of our group indicate that a small amount of gallic acid (GA 12 mg/P/d) protects humans against DNA damage and induces the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, we saw in animal studies that similar doses prevent damage of the genetic material in inner organs of rats and the induction of preneoplastic hepatic foci by γ-rad...

The leaves of coca (Erythroxylum coca var. coca), a South American shrub which contains cocaine, other alkaloids and phenolics are widely used by indigenous populations of the Andes. It is currently not known if coca consumption causes genotoxic effects in humans. This information is important to predict potential long-term toxic effects such as ca...

It has been postulated that the beneficial health effects of dietary supplements and of red wines which contain resveratrol (RES) are due to the anti-oxidative properties of this phenolic compound, but evidence for protection against reactive oxygen species is mainly based on results of in vitro experiments and high-dose animal experiments. Aim of...

Glyphosate (G) is the largest selling herbicide worldwide; the most common formulations (Roundup, R) contain polyoxyethyleneamine as main surfactant. Recent findings indicate that G exposure may cause DNA damage and cancer in humans. Aim of this investigation was to study the cytotoxic and genotoxic properties of G and R (UltraMax) in a buccal epit...

Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, GA) is a constituent of plant derived foods, beverages and herbal remedies. We investigated its DNA protective properties in a placebo controlled human intervention trial in single cell gel electrophoresis experiments. Supplementation of drinking water with GA (12.8 mg/person/d) for three days led to a sig...

Ozonation is an emerging technology for the removal of micropollutants from treated wastewater. Aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of ozone treatment on genotoxic and acute toxic effects of tertiary treated municipal wastewater. It is known that DNA-damaging chemicals cause adverse effects in the environment and that exposure to...

A controlled intervention trial was conducted to assess the impact of spinach consumption on DNA stability in lymphocytes and on health-related biochemical parameters. The participants (n = 8) consumed homogenised spinach (225 g/day/person) over a period of 16 days. DNA migration was monitored in single cell gel electrophoresis-comet assays under s...

Workers of solid-waste incinerators are exposed to a variety of pollutants such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. It has been shown that the emissions and the fly ash produced by incineration have mutagenic properties. To our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in which genotoxic effects were investigated in expos...

Micronucleus (MN) assays with early pollen tetrad cells of Tradescantia (Trad-MN assays) are at present the most widely used bioassays with plants for the detection of genotoxins in the environment. So far, ∼ 160 chemicals have been tested and ∼ 100 articles that concern complex environmental mixtures were published. This article summarises the res...

Genotoxicity experiments with exfoliated nasal mucosa cells are a promising minimally invasive approach for the detection of DNA-damaging compounds in ambient air. Results of single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assays with individual cells and organ cultures from bioptic material show that DNA damage caused by compounds such as nitrosamines, pol...

Coffee is among the most frequently consumed beverages worldwide and epidemiological studies indicate that its consumption is inversely related to the incidence of diseases in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved (liver cirrhosis, certain forms of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders). It has been postulated that antioxidant propertie...

Xanthohumol (XN) is a hop derived prenylated flavonoid contained in beer. Earlier findings indicated that it has promising chemopreventive properties and protects cells against DNA damage by carcinogens via inhibition of their activation. Furthermore, it was found that XN inhibits DNA synthesis and proliferation of cancer cells in vitro, inactivate...

It has been well documented that dietary factors have an impact on age-related disorders such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, the focus on specific groups has changed over recent years and on the basis of the development of powerful techniques and innovative findings, new concepts have emerged. Epigenetic aspects are one of these ne...

Consumption of green tea (GT) is associated with decreased incidences of specific forms of cancer in humans and it was postulated that its antioxidant (AO) properties may account for these effects. The evidence for AO effects of GT is mainly based on the results from in vitro experiments and on animal studies in which protection against chemically...