Abstract: Objectives To observe the frequencies of mutations at glycophorin A(GPA)of erythrocytes in patients with high arsenic coal poisoning(HACP)in comparison with normal controls.Methods The peripheral erythrocytes were isolated and immunolabelled,and were detected by flow cytometry in40patients and18normal adults.Results The mutation frequencies(MF) were(21.23±13.97)×10^-6 for type NN,(33.13±25.72)×10^-6 for type NO,(110.90±63.58)×10^-6 for type MM,and(20.35±21.26)×10^-6 for type MO of erythrocytes in patients with HACP,which were significantly higher than those in normal controls.The mutation frequencies were(31.50±16.13)×10^-6 for type NN,(54.50±38.13)×10^-6 for type NO,(159.33±66.22)×10^-6 for type MM,and(45.16±12.69)×10^-6 for type MO of erythrocytes in tumor group of HACP patients,which were significantly higher than those of non-tumor group of the patients.Conclusions Arsenic poisoning may induce the mutation at the glycophorin-A locus of erythrocytes,suggesting that arsenic may be one of potential mutagens.GPA-MF may serve as a parameter for the detection of patients with HACP.

Key words: Arsenic poisoning, Erythrocytes, Glycophorin, Mutation