Abstract: Objective: To investigate whether food pollutant benzo(a)pyrene causes the damage of A549 cells. Methods: A549 cells were exposed to different concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene (1, 5, 10, 50, 100 μmol/L BaP) for 24h. We measured the ability of viable cells by MTT assay, and detected DNA damage with alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis. Results: We found A549 cells, which exposed to 1, 5, 10, 50, 100μmol/L BaP, had a significant decreased growth rate compared with the group not exposed to BaP (p< 0.05). And we found the dose-dependent increases in DNA damage in A549 cells exposed to BaP. The OTM values in A549 cells exposed to 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 μmol/L BaP all increased significantly compared with the group not exposed to BaP, respectively (p< 0.05). Conclusion: It is suggested food pollutant benzo [a] pyrene could cause the damage of A549 cells.

Key words: food pollutant, benzo(a)pyrene, cell damage