ELECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF DNA AND CADMIUM IONS INTERACTION

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic environmental pollutant dangerous especially due to the ability of accumulation. Cd is emitted to the environment mostly by metallurgy, mining industry and production of nickel-cadmium batteries. The intoxication is caused mostly by cigarette smoke, foodstuffs and air pollution. The connection between cadmium and prostate, lung and testicles cancer as well as kidney and liver failure, lung oedema and spondylomalacia was proven. (Tokumoto 2011). Cd also generates reactive oxygen forms, damage DNA influence the function of proteins connected with an antioxidant defence of the organism. This work is focused on monitoring of the interactions between Cd ions and chicken genome DNA by square wave voltammetry on hanging mercury drop electrode. Significant signal decrease of 25% and 80% was observed in DNA exposed to Cd ions for 1 hour and 3 days, respectively.