Methacrylates are used in the
polymer form as composite restorative materials in dentistry. However, the
polymers can release monomers and co-monomers into the oral cavity and pulp, from where they can migrate into the bloodstream reaching virtually all organs. The local concentration of the released monomers can be in the millimolar range, high enough to induce adverse
biological effects. Genotoxicity of
methacrylate monomers is of a special significance due to potential serious phenotypic consequences, including
cancer, and long latency period. In the present work, we investigated cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of
glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in the human peripheral blood lymphocytes and the CCR-CM human
cancer cells. GMA at concentrations up to 5mM evoked a concentration-dependent decrease in the viability of the lymphocytes up to about 80%, as assessed by flow cytometry. This agent did not induce strand breaks in the isolated plasmid
DNA, but evoked concentration-dependent DNA damage in the human lymphocytes evaluated by the alkaline and neutral comet assay. This damage included oxidative modifications to the
DNA bases, as checked by
DNA repair enzymes Endo III and Fpg as well as single and double
DNA strand breaks. The lymphocytes exposed to GMA at 2.5 microM were able to remove about 90% of damage to their
DNA in 120 min. The ability of GMA to induce
DNA double-strand breaks was confirmed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. The
drug evoked apoptosis and induced an increase in the G2/M cell population, accompanied by a decrease in the S cell population and an increase in G0/G1 cell population. Due to broad spectrum of GMA genotoxicity, including
DNA double-strand breaks, and a potential long-lasting exposure to this compound, its use should be accompanied by precautions, reducing the chance of its release into blood stream and the possibility to induce adverse
biological effects.