No abstract

In living cells reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed continuously as a consequence of metabolic and other biochemical reactions as well as external factors. Some ROS have important physiological functions. Thus, antioxidant defense systems cannot provide complete protection from noxious effects of ROS. These include oxidative damage to DNA, which experimental studies in animals and in vitro have suggested are an important factor in carcinogenesis. Despite extensive repair oxidatively modified DNA is abundant in human tissues, in particular in tumors, i.e., in terms of 1-200 modified nucleosides per 10(5) intact nucleosides. The damaged nucleosides accumulate with age in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. The products of repair of these lesions are excreted into the urine in amounts corresponding to a damage rate of up to 10(4) modifications in each cell every day. The most abundant of these lesions, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), is also the most mutagenic, resulting in GT transversions which are frequently found in tumor relevant genes. A series of other oxidative modifications of base and sugar residues occur frequently in DNA, but they are less well studied and their biological significance less apparent. The biomarkers for study of oxidative DNA damage in humans include urinary excretion of oxidized nucleosides and bases as repair products and modifications in DNA isolated from target tissue or surrogate cells, such as lymphocytes. These biomarkers reflect the rate of damage and the balance between the damage and repair rate, respectively. By means of biomarkers a number of important factors have been studied in humans. Ionizing radiation, a carcinogenic and pure source of ROS, induced both urinary and leukocyte biomarkers of oxidative DNA damage. Tobacco smoking, another carcinogenic source of ROS, increased the oxidative DNA damage rate by 35-50% estimated from the urinary excretion of 8-oxodG, and the level of 8-oxodG in leukocytes by 20-50%. The main endogenous source of ROS, the oxygen consumption, showed a close correlation with the 8-oxodG excretion rate although moderate exercise appeared to have no immediate effect. So far, cross-sectional study of diet composition and intervention studies, including energy restriction and antioxidant supplements, have generally failed to show an influence on the oxidative DNA modification. However, a diet rich of Brussels sprouts reduced the oxidative DNA damage rate, estimated by the urinary excretion of 8-oxodG, and the intake of vitamin C was a determinant for the level of 8-oxodG in sperm DNA. A low-fat diet reduced another marker of oxidative DNA damage in leukocytes. In patients with diseases associated with a mechanistically based increased risk of cancer, including Fanconi anemia, chronic hepatitis, cystic fibrosis, and various autoimmune diseases, the biomarker studies indicate an increased rate of oxidative DNA damage or in some instances deficient repair. Human studies support the experimentally based notion of oxidative DNA damage as...

Oxidative DNA damage may be implicated in ageing, carcinogenesis and other degenerative diseases. Oxidative DNA damage can be assessed in humans in vivo from the urinary excretion of the DNA-repair product 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG). We investigated factors influencing the excretion of 8OHdG in 24 h urine from 83 randomly selected healthy subjects (52 women) aged 40-64 years. For 2 weeks prior to urine collection the subjects kept a weighed diet record. 8OHdG was quantified by an automatic three-dimensional HPLC analysis with electrochemical detection. The 8OHdG excretion was 252 +/- 103 (mean +/- SD) pmol kg body weight/24 h with a range from 78 to 527. Multiple regression analysis identified three factors, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and gender, as significant predictors of the 8OHdG excretion. In 30 smokers the 8OHdG excretion was 320 +/- 99 pmol/kg/24 h opposed to 213 +/- 84 pmol/kg/24 h in 53 non-smokers. According to multiple regression analysis smokers excreted 50% (31-69%; 95% confidence interval) more 8OHdG than non-smokers. In 52 women the 8OHdG excretion was 240 +/- 106 pmol/kg/24 h opposed to 271 +/- 96 pmol/kg/24 h in 31 men. According to the multiple regression analysis men excreted 29% (10-48%) more 8OHdG than women. According to multiple regression analysis the 8OHdG excretion decreased with 4% (2-6%) per increment in BMI measured in kg/m2. The dietary distribution of energy demonstrated no important predictive value with respect to 8OHdG excretion. The intake of the antioxidant vitamins C and E and of vitamin A equivalents, including beta-carotene, was not associated with 8OHdG excretion. The results suggest that smoking increases oxidative DNA damage by approximately 50%. This effect implies potential serious health effects adding to the other well-known health hazards of smoking. The higher 8OHdG excretion in men and lean subjects may be related to a higher rate of metabolism with increased availability of reactive oxygen species. The apparent 7-fold individual variation in oxidative DNA damage carries implications regarding the rate of ageing and the risk of cancer and other degenerative diseases. The excretion of 8OHdG into urine offers a valuable tool for testing such hypotheses in humans.

Particulates are small particles of solid or liquid suspended in liquid or air. In vitro studies show that particles generate reactive oxygen species, deplete endogenous antioxidants, alter mitochondrial function and produce oxidative damage to lipids and DNA. Surface area, reactivity and chemical composition play important roles in the oxidative potential of particulates. Studies in animal models indicate that particles from combustion processes (generated by combustion of wood or diesel oil), silicate, titanium dioxide and nanoparticles (C60 fullerenes and carbon nanotubes) produce elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products and oxidatively damaged DNA. Biomonitoring studies in humans have shown associations between exposure to air pollution and wood smoke particulates and oxidative damage to DNA, deoxynucleotides and lipids measured in leukocytes, plasma, urine and/or exhaled breath. The results indicate that oxidative stress and elevated levels of oxidatively altered biomolecules are important intermediate endpoints that may be useful markers in hazard characterization of particulates.

Viability, cell cycle effects, genotoxicity, reactive oxygen species production, and mutagenicity of C(60) fullerenes (C(60)) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were assessed in the FE1-Mutatrade markMouse lung epithelial cell line. None of these particles induced cell death within 24 hr at doses between 0 and 200 microg/ml or during long-term subculture exposure (576 hr) at 100 microg/ml, as determined by two different assays. However, cell proliferation was slower with SWCNT exposure and a larger fraction of the cells were in the G1 phase. Exposure to carbon black resulted in the greatest reactive oxygen species generation followed by SWCNT and C(60) in both cellular and cell-free particle suspensions. C(60) and SWCNT did not increase the level of strand breaks, but significantly increased the level of FPG sensitive sites/oxidized purines (22 and 56%, respectively) determined by the comet assay. The mutant frequency in the cII gene was unaffected by 576 hr of exposure to either 100 microg/ml C(60) or SWCNT when compared with control incubations, whereas we have previously reported that carbon black and diesel exhaust particles induce mutations using an identical exposure scenario. These results indicate that SWCNT and C(60) are less genotoxic in vitro than carbon black and diesel exhaust particles.

In conclusion, the consumption of the WB drink for 6 weeks significantly reduced the levels of oxidized DNA bases and increased the resistance to oxidatively induced DNA damage. Future studies should address in greater detail the role of WB in endothelial function.

Background: The toxic and inflammatory potential of 5 different types of nanoparticles were studied in a sensitive model for pulmonary effects in apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE -/-). We studied the effects instillation or inhalation Printex 90 of carbon black (CB) and compared CB instillation in ApoE-/-and C57 mice. Three and 24 h after pulmonary exposure, inflammation was assessed by mRNA levels of cytokines in lung tissue, cell composition, genotoxicity, protein and lactate dehydrogenase activity in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid.

Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution may contribute to the development of COPD with possibly enhanced susceptibility in people with diabetes and asthma.