OBJECTIVETo detect the genomic instability in the 16 human broncho-epithelial (16HBE) cells induced by crystalline nickel sulfide so as to provide the scientific basis for further study of nickel-induced cancer molecular mechanism.

METHODSTo analyse the genomic instability in transformed 16HBE cells induced by crystalline nickel sulfide by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD).

RESULTSAll the 7 random primers selected could amplify 1 - 6 clear PCR bands. There were no significant differences between transformed 16HBE cells and negative control cells in the 4th, 5th, and 7th primers, but in the rest 4 primers there were significant differences, with special PCR bands for the same primer, indicating that genomic instability in transformed 16 HBE cells was induced by crystalline nickel sulfide.

CONCLUSIONCrystalline nickel sulfide could induce genomic instability in 16HBE cells.