DOI: 10.11648/j.ijgg.20261403.11 ISSN: 2376-7359

Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Comet Assay in Detecting EMS-induced Genotoxicity

Samit Kadam, Aditya Hajare, Bhumika Nataraj
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The widespread use of industrial chemicals has raised concerns about their potential to damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a process linked to cancer and other serious diseases. To explore this risk, we examined the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS), a known mutagen, in mice using the comet assay. Saline and corn oil served as vehicle controls. Body weight (BW) measurements showed no major differences between controls and treated groups over two days, although higher EMS doses were associated with slight reductions and greater variability, suggesting systemic stress. In contrast, DNA damage was strikingly dose-dependent. Duodenum, stomach, and liver tissues all showed significant increases in DNA strand breaks after EMS exposure, with duodenal cells in females appearing particularly sensitive. Cell viability declined progressively with increasing EMS doses across all tissues, while ghost cell frequency, a marker of cytotoxicity, rose in parallel. Importantly, vehicle controls remained stable, confirming that observed effects were due to EMS rather than solvents. Together, these findings demonstrate that EMS induces clear, dose-dependent DNA damage and cell stress in gastrointestinal and hepatic tissues. The comet assay proved to be a sensitive and reliable tool for detecting such genotoxic effects, reinforcing its value in toxicity testing. By highlighting tissue-specific and sex-related responses, this study underscores the importance of considering biological variability when assessing chemical hazards.

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